Back From the Future

by phoenixqueen

Oscar and Oz are captured by the Hound and brought to Salem. In a desperate gamble, Oz draws on his remaining magic to try to protect Oscar - but when mingled with Salem's magic... something unexpected results. Two years previously, Professor Ozpin is working in his office when he receives an unexpected visitor - a badly wounded boy. But this boy has an incredible story.

11. Chapter Eleven: What We Face

Chapter Eleven: What We Face

Friday night…

"By a vote of three to one, the proposal on implementing standardization of Dust refineries will be tabled for further discussion at a later date," Councilwoman Richards said. "As Professor Ozpin has suggested, we will open the proposal up for public comment during our next meeting, and then take a vote on the proposal at a later time."

Ozpin nodded, noticing the sour expression on Councilman Russet's face that he hadn't been able to push the proposal through, but the other Councilman didn't say anything other than to nod his own agreement with the result of the vote. "I propose we adjourn for the evening," he said. "Based on the agenda I was sent earlier today, it seems like we've covered everything that we intended to."

"A proposal to adjourn has been made. Does anyone second the motion?"

"I second," Councilman Thyme replied.

"Motion seconded – all in favor?" A moment later the results of the vote were displayed on Ozpin's terminal as everyone keyed in their vote. "Motion passes. This meeting is hereby adjourned until our next meeting in two weeks. Thank you for coming everyone and have a good night."

After a moment, the video call winked out and Ozpin closed down the systems with a sigh, before picking up Long Memory and heading for the elevator. Despite the supposed reasoning for the earlier Council session today, the meeting had still run close to its normal ending time, due to the intense debate on several of the proposals that had been sent in. Ozpin was entirely in favor of debate and allowing all voices to be heard on an issue but arguing merely for the sake of stubbornness wasn't the same thing.

Councilman Russet had pushed hard on the proposal over the standardization of Dust refineries, but it seemed as though Councilwoman Richards was as reluctant as Ozpin was to back a proposal that could harm smaller, local businesses in favor of large corporations like the SDC. At the next meeting, which would be the monthly session that was open to the public, citizens and interested parties would be allowed a chance to comment on any pending proposals. Most likely, the proposals open to public comment would be posted on the Vale CCTS network so that the citizens could review the available data and prepare their comments.

As the elevator door opened on his floor, he entered his living room, expecting it to be dark and quiet like it usually was, only to stop short at the sight of Oscar curled up in one of the armchairs with a book in his lap – a thick volume of fairy tales that he recognized as coming from his own shelves. "Oscar?" He glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. "Why are you still awake? It's late, and I thought you'd be in bed. You did just get released from the hospital."

Oscar looked up from the book in his lap. "I've been stuck in bed for a week with very little to do," he replied dryly. "It's not like I went out and ran laps around the campus after you left, but the idea of just going straight to bed after I ate? No thank you. I needed to do something besides just sitting in bed or sleeping."

Ozpin frowned a little. "I don't want you to overexert yourself while you're still recovering."

Oscar shrugged before slipping a scrap of paper between the pages of the book to mark his place. "I'm fine. I know my limits after the therapy Doctor Ashburn and the nurses have been putting me through." He placed the book on the small table next to the chair. "Professor Goodwitch brought enough dinner up for both of us. I already ate, but I put your portion in the oven to keep it warm. Baked chicken, new potatoes, and mixed vegetables, and I've been keeping an eye on it, so it didn't dry out."

"You didn't have to do that," Ozpin said. "I could have reheated it."

Oscar stood and stretched but didn't manage to conceal a wince of pain or suppress the instinctive reaction that made him wrap an arm around his ribs for a moment. He took a deep breath before dropping his arm and moving towards the kitchen, pointedly not looking at Ozpin.

"Oscar, you're clearly still hurting," Ozpin said, following the teen into the kitchen.

"It's the burn scar on my chest," Oscar replied dismissively. "It's still healing, and Doctor Ashburn said that it would ache if the skin is pulled or stretched for a while. I'll live." He reached for a potholder and opened the oven door, pulling out a plate loaded with chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. "Take a seat so you can eat while it's still warm."

"I can get my own dinner," Ozpin protested, although he did move towards the table and the plate waiting there.

"I don't mind," Oscar's tone was a little snappish. "I'm not ready for bed yet and it feels good to be doing something again."

Deciding that it might not be worth pushing the issue while Oscar was clearly still sensitive about the injuries he'd sustained as well as their relationship, Ozpin took a seat at the table positioned near the large windows that made up the exterior walls of his lodgings as Oscar brought the plate over, along with a set of utensils. It seemed the boy had explored a bit, but since Ozpin had told him to do so, that wasn't unexpected.

"Will that room suit you?" he finally said, to change the topic. "I know you'll need more clothes if you're going to be here for the next year or so, but if there's anything else you want in the way of decorations to make it feel more like yours, we can look for that tomorrow morning as well. I've already arranged a meeting with Glynda and Qrow for tomorrow after lunch."

"I – it's fine," Oscar said, glancing away. He moved over to the oven, checking to make sure he'd turned it off.

"Oscar, I want you to be comfortable while you're here," Ozpin said softly, after taking a bite from his dinner. "The students get to bring their personal belongings with them when they arrive. You're no different in that respect, even if you're not technically a student yet."

"Yeah, but I don't have any personal belongings," Oscar said. "It's not a big deal – it's just a little different from my room back on the farm. I'll get used to it – I've stayed several different places since I got involved in all of this."

Ozpin wanted to object to the self-sacrificing response, but after a moment's thought and seeing the tension in Oscar's body, he dropped the subject again. Better not to push – not yet. There would be time in the future, once they were past the conversation they would be having the next day with Glynda and Qrow. If Oscar would be staying with him for the time being, eventually the teen would open up to him, surely.

"Did you tell me that you had met Qrow before?" Ozpin asked, after several minutes where he ate a good portion of his dinner and Oscar puttered around by the stove and counters. "I seem to recall you mentioning his name."

Oscar turned, a dish towel in one hand. "Yeah. After… after you convinced me to go to Mistral, he was the first person I met. He had Long Memory and was keeping it safe for you." His lips quirked in a small smile. "I found him in a bar in Mistral, and he called me 'pipsqueak' and said I wasn't supposed to be there. But when I asked for my cane back, he recognized me as being your next incarnation."

"I see." Ozpin thought about that. For Qrow to be in possession of Long Memory, his death must have been sudden and unexpected – Qrow would either have to have taken it from his body after he was gone, or it would have been entrusted to Qrow by Ozpin with his dying breath. Usually – if he knew that he was walking into a situation where his life would be on the line – he took the precaution of locking Long Memory away in one of several secure locations that he kept in each Kingdom, so that no matter who or where he reincarnated to, he would be able to reach his weapon again. He shook his head not wanting to dwell on the idea of his death at the moment. "But you never met Glynda before we met you in the hospital last week, right?"

Oscar shook his head. "No. I knew about her from your – Oz's – memories of her, but we never met before I got sent back here. I did meet Lionheart and General Ironwood, but I never met Shade's headmaster… Theodore?" his voice pitched upward as he turned the statement into a question at the end.

"Theodore, yes. Another skilled Huntsman, and a good friend of mine, even before we were both made Headmasters. He's a bit older than me – at least in this incarnation – but we were both active Huntsmen for a few years at the same time, and we did complete a few missions together."

"Oh, that sounds interesting," Oscar said softly. "I guess that's one of the ways you chose your lieutenants. People you knew and worked with?"

"Yes, and no," Ozpin admitted, continuing to eat as he thought about how to elaborate on his answer further. "As the last King of Vale, I chose the first Headmasters when the Academies were established from among my most trusted advisors after the War – members of my inner circle who understood the scope of the conflict with Salem and how she had been influencing the War."

He sighed. "Since my plan was to abdicate the throne once I was sure the new Council system had been established and was successful in all four Kingdoms, I knew I wouldn't always be in a position to choose the Headmasters in future incarnations. Although final approval of the Headmaster rests with the Council of each Kingdom, the current Headmaster has the right to nominate the one they would like to be their successor. Since the Headmasters play such a vital role in the fight against Salem and protecting the Relics, it needs to be someone trustworthy. Where possible, the Headmasters do consult with me on their choices, of course."

"Huh." Oscar looked thoughtful as he leaned against the counter near the oven. "I guess that makes sense because I never really thought about how you chose the Headmasters. They do play such an important role in protecting the Relics, and it does explain some things that happened." The comment didn't seem to be directed to Ozpin, but it was enough to peak the Headmaster's curiosity, although he decided not to comment, wanting to just gather some more information before questioning Oscar and possibly making him become defensive.

After a moment of silence, Oscar looked down at the potholder that was still in his hands. "Are you done with your plate?" he asked. "I'll wash it before I head to bed."

Ozpin wanted to say something about Oscar not needing to look after him, but again decided to remain quiet. This was a new situation for both of them. Eventually they would find a working rhythm that left them both comfortable in each other's presence – and Oscar probably was itching for something to do after being stuck in the hospital for a week. He ate the final bite of his mixed vegetables before nodding. "I'll make sure there's an extra set of towels in the bathroom for you. Do you prefer to shower at night or in the morning?"

"Night," Oscar said, coming over and picking up the plate and utensils. "Mornings on the farm meant getting up and starting chores right away. I was usually busy for most of the day and didn't want to go to bed covered in dirt and sweat."

The very idea made Ozpin want to shudder with disgust, but he resisted the urge. "Okay. I'll go lay out some towels for you then, and you can use anything you need in there." He pushed back his chair and headed for the hallway.

He entered the bathroom via the hallway and opened the small linen closet. He pulled out a second stack of thick green towels and laid them on the counter near the sink where Oscar could easily find them. He didn't have company often, but when he did purchase supplies he tended to overstock. He was busy enough that he didn't have time to constantly be running errands into Vale for things he might need, and even having things delivered brought their own complications regarding clearances and meeting the delivery agent.

He found an extra toothbrush as well as an extra tube of toothpaste and a wrapped bar of soap that Oscar could use all on his own. He didn't have an extra hairbrush or comb, but based on the boy's appearance, his hair was short and curly enough that it wouldn't matter much if he went one more day without brushing it, and they could make sure they picked up a brush for him tomorrow.

He didn't want to intrude on Oscar's privacy, but he did want to get an idea of the kind of things that the teen would need. He poked his head into the other bedroom, just taking a quick look around. He'd had the furniture brought up from an unused dorm room, but he just wanted to be sure that he'd accounted for everything that Oscar might need.

Bed, desk, dresser, bookshelf, and nightstand were all there. The bed had fresh linens and blankets on it, and he'd made sure that the entire room had been cleaned and scoured before he'd had the furniture brought in, including having the curtains and sheers pulled down and washed to make sure they were free of dust. He hadn't really been using the room for anything but storage, and it hadn't been hard to move those few boxes into the laundry / utility room.

It probably wouldn't hurt to find a rug to put on the floor, and perhaps some artwork or photographs of some kind to brighten up the walls and make it feel less stark and barren. Oscar would obviously need clothes, since he couldn't live in just the single white shirt and black pants that Ozpin had purchased for him that afternoon on his way to the hospital. Toiletries were equally obvious, so those were added to his mental checklist. Perhaps a stop in a bookstore so Oscar could choose some books for his shelf.

Already making plans for the next morning's trip into the city, Ozpin nodded before heading back out into the hallway and into the living area. Oscar had left the kitchen and returned to the armchair where he had been sitting when Ozpin had returned from the Council meeting, book open in his lap.

"I put some towels, some soap, and a toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter in the bathroom for you," Ozpin said when Oscar looked up at his entrance. "We'll get anything else you may need tomorrow."

"Thanks," Oscar replied shyly. He looked down at the book in his lap for a moment before getting up. He moved over to one of the bookcases and replaced the book. "I think I'll go take a shower and head for bed," he said quietly.

"Take the book with you," Ozpin urged him. "You can keep it in your room until you're done with it if you'd like."

"Are you sure?" Oscar said. "It's your book."

"I'm certain. This is going to be your home for a while – you're welcome to read anything you'd like," Ozpin said.

Oscar reached for the book again, tucking it under his arm. "Okay, thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

"If you need anything at all, please let me know."

A shy, but uncertain smile. "Okay. Good night."

"Good night," Ozpin returned the smile. He watched as Oscar ducked into the hallway, heading for his room, before moving to his own chair and picking up the book that he had been reading the previous night. After everything that had happened – between bringing Oscar to Beacon and the Council meeting – he wanted a short time to read in peace before heading to bed himself. He also wanted to make sure that he was available in case Oscar needed anything in the next hour or so, since he had a suspicion that the teen wouldn't want to bother him once he knew that Ozpin had gone to bed for the night.

Despite the fact that Oscar was now sharing the apartment with him, it didn't really feel any different. Ozpin couldn't hear the teen moving around at all, but Oscar didn't come out seeking help for anything, so Ozpin tried not to worry about it. He kept most of his attention on his book for the first few minutes, but as the minutes passed and everything remained quiet, he allowed more and more of his attention to be caught up in his reading.

Finally, after an hour or two, he marked his place in the volume and set it aside on the side table next to his chair. Tomorrow would likely prove to be interesting, since he would need to take Oscar to get the rest of what he would need for his stay, and then in the afternoon, the meeting with Qrow and Glynda to discuss what Oscar knew about what they faced. Best to be well-rested, as the information would undoubtedly tax many of his own beliefs, without even taking Glynda and Qrow into the equation – and yet he would be expected to be the strong leader and face everything with the wisdom and stoicism his inner circle expected from him.

Sometimes those expectations were a lot to deal with. The burden it placed on him wasn't unfamiliar – it was a burden that he experienced in every lifetime. The degree to which the burden existed, however, varied from one incarnation to the next, since not every life that he lived was one where he was in a position of authority. But he always had allies – and often friends – who looked to him for guidance.

In this lifetime, in his role as Headmaster, he had students each year who looked to him as a teacher, which was both a blessing and a curse. He got to watch his students grow and change into the young men and women, the Huntsmen and Huntresses they would become – a blessing, and one which filled him with pride. At the same time, however, it was a curse, knowing that these young Huntsmen and Huntresses were fighting in a war they didn't know existed, for the preservation of the rest of Remnant. Another weapon in his ongoing struggle against Salem.

His inner circle too – all grown adults who were capable of making their own decisions, and yet they had expectations of their own where he was concerned – not as a teacher, but as a leader, a general of sorts, in this secret war. It was a different type of burden… one which Oscar's presence and the news he carried could change dramatically.

But there was nothing for it. The teen was here, now, and tomorrow his story would be told to them. Depending on what he had to tell them, it had the potential to give them a true advantage over Salem – one that he had not had for lifetimes. In all their conflicts, she was always one step ahead of him, unbound by the process of reincarnation that often shackled him, and yet he had always managed to keep up with her, to keep Remnant safe. But now – with the idea that he might finally be able to make a real difference, to do more than keep a stalemate going? The possibility was tantalizing, but he was trying not to get his hopes up. He didn't know what it was Oscar had to say, and that was a crucial detail that he couldn't allow himself to forget.

He readied himself for bed, pausing at the door between Oscar's room and the bathroom and just listening for a moment, wanting the assurance that all was well with the boy. He was healing well, but Doctor Ashburn had reminded them that Oscar still wasn't at full strength or health yet. He could only hear quiet breathing from the teen's room, and the crack under the door was dark, so it seemed as if Oscar too was sleeping.

"Good night, Oscar," he whispered again, before going into his own room and settling down in his bed, Long Memory retracted and resting on the top of his nightstand, within easy reach if he needed it. Sleep was calling to him, and he saw no reason to fight it further.

---

Summer Rose's Memorial… Island of Patch, Saturday morning…

Ruby hurried along the packed-dirt path between the trees, her red cloak flaring out behind her as she moved. She didn't have a lot of time until she had to leave to see Uncle Qrow off on his next mission – something they rarely got to do because she and Yang were usually at school when he left – but she hadn't visited her mother since he had arrived six days ago, and she wanted to at least get in a quick visit.

She loved coming here to speak to her mom. It was the one place she really thought she could feel Summer's presence, even more than around the house, even though Summer Rose wasn't really buried here. No one knew what had happened to her, but Dad had said this was one of her favorite spots, so when they realized she wasn't coming back from her last mission, it had only made sense to put her stone here, at the top of the cliff. Ruby tried to come at least once a week, just to talk. Dad and Yang were great to talk to, but some things, she just wanted to share with her mom.

"Hey Mom," she said, dropping to her knees in front of Summer's stone. "Sorry I haven't been by in a few days, but Uncle Qrow's been visiting this week, and Yang and I have been taking every opportunity to train and spar with him. Uncle Qrow says I'm really getting good with Crescent Rose, and he taught me some new techniques to try, since I am advanced enough now that I don't need to worry about accidentally cutting off my own arm or leg. I really can't wait until I discover my Semblance – I just know it'll help make me an even better fighter, whatever it is."

She started clearing away a few weeds that were trying to grow around the stone as she spoke. "Even with all my practice though, I haven't been able to beat him in a sparring match yet. He says I'm getting better all the time, but it's frustrating that I can't get one victory against him. Yang just says that'll make the day when I do eventually beat him all the sweeter. I guess all I can do is keep practicing, huh?"

She gathered the weeds into a small pile next to her, planning to toss them over the edge of the cliff before she left. "Yang and I even went two versus one against Uncle Qrow, to practice working as a team. Every time he and Dad talk about being at Beacon, they mention being on a team, so we wanted to develop some team moves that she could take with her to Beacon when she goes."

She played with a long strand of grass, running it absently between her fingers, not wanting to think about Yang leaving while she was with her mom. "I really thought we had him this time – it seemed like we were just working so fluidly together, and we were going to do it. We were going to beat him for the first time ever, and then, like always our luck turned against us and he got the upper hand when Ember Celica jammed on a reload. He said we were a lot better than we were the last time he sparred with us, but to keep practicing. We definitely will, since Yang needs to make sure she's the best she can be so she can take the Beacon entrance exam in the spring. The competition for one of the available spots will be fierce, but I know she can do it. She's such a good fighter – but it will be weird to not be at school with her in the fall. She'll be in her third year before I can start at Beacon. I'll miss having her there at school for two years."

"Ruby! Come on! Dad and Uncle Qrow are ready to go into town!" Yang called from where she was standing at the edge of the tree line. Ruby twisted and waved at her sister to let her know she'd heard.

"I gotta go, Mom," Ruby said. "We're going to go and see Uncle Qrow off on the ferry over to Vale before we go shopping. But I'll be back later this week." She stood up and brushed the grass off of her tights. "See you soon!" She quickly scooped up the weeds and tossed them over the cliff, before hurrying over to join her sister.

She hurried over to where Yang was waiting. "Okay, let's go. I just wanted to talk to Mom for a few minutes."

"Yeah, I know, but Uncle Qrow seems anxious to get to the briefing for this mission," Yang said. "Not sure why – he's usually pretty laid back about his missions."

"Is it just me, or has Uncle Qrow seemed… different this week?" Ruby asked.

"How so?"

"More intense, but also quieter, maybe? It also seems like he's been drinking more than he usually does."

Yang shrugged. "I haven't really noticed. Uncle Qrow's not particularly loud to begin with, you know, and he's always drinking."

"I guess," Ruby said as they came up on the house. Dad and Uncle Qrow were standing outside talking in low tones. "I'm ready," she said. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Normally I wouldn't interfere with you wanting to talk to Summer, kiddo, but I have to catch my ferry into the Kingdom. Ol' Ozpin is expecting me for a briefing this afternoon."

"Wait, you mean you're going to talk to Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, of course. He's the one who hired me for this mission, and he wanted to brief me personally on it this afternoon and give me more details about what he wants from me."

"But he's the Headmaster of Beacon," Yang said. "Since when does he assign missions to anyone except Beacon students?"

"He's also the lead Huntsman in the Kingdom and coordinates all the Huntsmen in the Kingdom, firecracker," Qrow replied. "It's his right to set missions for professional Huntsmen too, not just students."

"Let's get going, or you'll miss your ferry," Tai interjected. "I'd like to be home before lunch as well."

They started off down the road towards the small village market. A water ferry ran across the shallow waters several times a day, since there was little fear of Grimm attacking by water. All along the walk, Yang pestered Qrow for details about the mission and knowing Professor Ozpin as more than just his former Headmaster from his time at Beacon.

"Look, firecracker, it's not a big deal," Qrow said. "Ozpin can assign missions to professional Huntsmen as well as students. Most people just don't realize that he does, since most of his time is spent on the students at Beacon. I do work for him from time to time, when he needs someone experienced who can afford to be gone for long periods of time."

"A long time?" Ruby whined. "How long is a long time?"

"I don't know, kiddo. That's one of the things I'll probably find out when I talk to him this afternoon. I don't even really know exactly what he expects of me. He didn't have time to brief me about it when I got back into town on Sunday, but it wasn't urgent, and he wanted me to have a chance to visit with the three of you before I went out again."

The ferry was docked but preparing to depart in five minutes when they approached the gangway. It would be a two-hour ride across the water from the island to the mainland, which would put Qrow in Vale just at lunchtime, giving him plenty of time before his afternoon meeting with Ozpin.

"Now, you two," Qrow said as he shifted Harbinger on his back. "Keep training, but don't neglect your other studies either, especially if you want to get into Beacon. It's not just combat skill that you'll have to prove when it comes time to take the entrance exam. And don't run your dad too ragged. I'm not going to be here to corral you hooligans." He chuckled as they both pouted at him.

"Be safe, Uncle Qrow," Yang said. "Bring back lots of stories about what you saw when you come home."

"I will," he promised.

"Yang and I will keep training and we'll beat you next time," Ruby cried, determination in her voice.

"Keep dreaming, squirt," Qrow laughed. "The day the two of you can take me down – individually or as a team – is the day I give up going on missions."

"Get going, Qrow. We'll see you when you get back," Tai said, shoving his brother-in-law towards the gangplank. Tell Ozpin I said hi."

"Will do." He reached out and ruffled Ruby's hair, and then punched Yang lightly on her shoulder. "Be good."

Turning, he strode up the gangway with long strides, scanning his scroll at the terminal at the top of the gangway before stepping onto the deck. He leaned casually against the rail, waving to them until the gangway lifted and the ferry pulled away.

"All right, girls. Let's get the shopping done and head home," Tai said. "I know both of you still have homework to do since you've been spending most of your free time sparring with Qrow this week."

Both of them groaned but nodded. "Okay, Dad. We'll help. Let's get started."

---

Ozpin's Office… Saturday afternoon…

"Let me get some extra chairs out of the closet," Ozpin said as the elevator doors slid open on the level of his office after lunch. "Glynda and Qrow should be here soon, and then we can get started." He stepped over to the desk long enough to leave Long Memory leaning up against it before he moved to the closet in the back of the room and began pulling out extra chairs.

"Great," Oscar replied to the Headmaster's comment, trying to sound enthusiastic as he followed him into the office. It didn't even sound convincing to him, so he knew Ozpin probably saw through his false cheer immediately. He wasn't looking forward to this, but it had been pushed off for long enough. He needed to tell Ozpin what Beacon and the other Academies were facing, no matter the cost. He just… didn't know how to do it. How much could he tell without risking alienating Ozpin and these others who were his allies?

He looked around the office as the memories he had from Oz – hazy as they were – warred with his own first impressions of the space. Despite the arc of windows on the wall directly across from him – which also made up the face of the clock – the office definitely had an industrial feel to it. There were the gears suspended from the ceiling and beneath the glass floor, not to mention the huge system of gears and mechanical parts along the wall to his right, which seemed to be the actual control mechanisms for the clock hands. There was also a quiet ticking sound echoing in the room. The style of the room seemed completely opposite to what he had seen down in Ozpin's apartment, which had a more classic, elegant style despite the simplicity of the furnishings. It… wasn't what Oscar had expected, despite the hazy memories and feeling of familiarity he had by being in this room.

The ticking puzzled him, however. He knew it was from the gears and mechanics, but it was inaudible anywhere else in the Tower – even in the apartment that was only one floor below the office. They must be some sort of amazing soundproofing in place – perhaps Atlas tech? The CCTS towers had been developed by Atlas, although each one had been tailored to suit the aesthetic of the Academy where they were positioned.

"How do you even concentrate with the ticking in here?" Oscar asked, moving to pick up the third chair as Ozpin moved two others towards the space in front of his desk, arranging them in a half-circle.

"I find it soothing, like wind chimes or soft music," Ozpin replied. "It's also a profound reminder of the inexorable progress of time, and helps to keep me grounded, since there are times when I can find myself feeling… detached from everything, given the nature of my curse and the many lives I've lived."

Oscar didn't really have a response for that. It was true, he could tell that much from Ozpin's tone of voice, but that sort of viewpoint wasn't one he could fully relate to yet, since he had yet to take on the full scope of Ozma's curse. With nothing else he could say, he took a seat in the chair he'd brought over, feeling both grateful and resentful at the same time. Grateful to be able to sit down, but resentful towards Hazel and Salem for the injuries they'd caused him and the slow recovery he was forced to undergo as a result. He was used to being much more active, between farm chores, training, and just hanging out with RWBY and JNR.

It had been an… exhausting morning. After a quick breakfast of poached eggs, bacon, and toast, he and Ozpin had headed back into Vale to get the things that Oscar would need if he would be living at Beacon for the foreseeable future. A whole new wardrobe, for one.

Oscar was used to only having a couple of outfits, most consisting of white shirts that could be bleached when they got stained from his chores around the farm and thick canvas pants that could take the punishment of working with animals or being out in the fields. But now he had more clothes than either he or his aunt had ever seen at one time, let alone owned. Ozpin had helped him pick things that would be comfortable, whether for training, study, or just daily wear. All of it was simple enough to suit Oscar's preferences (nothing as elegant as Ozpin's choice of wardrobe) but also nice enough that he wouldn't stand out amongst the Beacon students as a clear outsider.

The only thing they hadn't bought him yet was a set of combat gear, mainly because Ozpin wanted to see where his skills were at currently, so they could pick gear that would protect him, and also suit his fighting style. The gear he'd purchased in Argus had been nice – the nicest clothing he'd ever owned – but he'd also purchased it in a hurry, and Ozpin had rightly pointed out that the shops in Vale would have other alternatives.

Then there had been the stop to get any toiletries he wanted, a trip to a bookstore called Tuckson's Book Trade – which had been the best part, as far as Oscar was concerned, and one he would likely visit again – and a stop for small things that he could use to personalize his room a bit. At Ozpin's insistence, he'd picked out a few prints and things to hang on the wall to give it a bit of color – mostly nature prints that reminded him of the farm and the Mistralian countryside – but also a few simple accessories for his nightstand, desk, and dresser to give the room some character.

Most of their purchases would be delivered tomorrow, since there had been far too much for the two of them to carry, and with the odds being good that they would be tied up in this meeting for the rest of the afternoon, Ozpin hadn't wanted them to be interrupted by a slew of deliveries. They had brought the bag of toiletries, one bag with two new outfits and a set of pajamas for Oscar, and one bag of books back with them, but the rest would be coming later.

He watched as Ozpin moved over to the cabinet in the corner and began preparing a pot of hot chocolate. At least he still had a few minutes to decide how he was going to tell Ozpin and his inner circle what they needed to know. He just… didn't know how much to tell them. They would need to know everything eventually, of course, but the most important parts at the moment were about the threat to Beacon. Of course, that would also lead into telling about Lionheart and the Relic, since Lionheart's participation had enabled Cinder and her lackies access to the Vytal Festival in the first place.

Maybe it would be better to just answer their questions for now, rather than volunteering information? At least until he was sure how they would react, anyway. He just hoped it wouldn't turn into a "blame the messenger" situation. He really didn't want to get hit by Qrow again.

The conflict was hard to reconcile. All those months in Atlas – keeping the secret from Ironwood about Oz and Salem, trusting Ruby to know when it would be the right time to tell him – it had helped him to understand a little better why Oz kept his secrets so close. Of course, in the General's case, it ultimately hadn't mattered. He'd tried so hard to get through to Ironwood at the end, and he'd failed. Oscar didn't want that failure on his conscience for a second time. But if he didn't tell them everything, it would only increase the likelihood of the same things happening again.

The elevator chimed. "Come in," Ozpin called over his shoulder from where he was standing. The doors slid open to admit Glynda. Tablet in hand, tapping away at it even as she entered the office, she was exactly like the vague memories that Oscar could recall from Oz the few times that her name had been brought up in conversation with the old wizard or some of the other students before he'd found himself back here. She spotted the chairs and took a seat without hesitation. "Good afternoon, Ozpin. Good afternoon, Oscar."

"Good afternoon, Glynda," Ozpin said, turning away from the counter. Oscar could see a kettle of water sitting on a hot plate behind the Headmaster, steam already beginning to rise from it's spout. "Is Qrow here yet?"

"He's on his way. He had to take the ferry over from Patch, since his nieces wanted to see him off today," Oscar smiled at the thought of Ruby's and Yang's exuberance where their uncle was concerned, "and apparently his Semblance decided to kick in – the engine broke when they were nearly across the water," Glynda said with a sigh. "They finally got the engine fixed and are underway again. They should be docking within ten minutes."

"Too many people around for him to transform into his namesake?" Oscar asked, seeing Glynda start in surprise, her green eyes flashing as she looked at him sharply.

"How did you –?" Glynda began, only to stop herself mid-sentence.

"I met Qrow before I got sent back here," Oscar said. "He was the first person I met after I got dragged into all of this, since he was holding on to Long Memory for Oz. I know Oz gave him and his sister magic so they could turn into a crow and a raven, respectively."

Glynda stared at him for another moment. "Somehow, the fact that you know that is more convincing that you came from sometime in our future than anything else you've said thus far."

Oscar shrugged and leaned forward, rubbing his legs a little bit as he winced. They had done a lot of walking that morning and a week in the hospital – after at least a day, and probably more, of torture at Hazel's hands – had cost him some strength and stamina. The muscles in his legs and his joints were aching from the activity.

"Are you alright, Oscar?" Glynda asked, concern in her voice apparent as she watched him stretch the sore muscles. Ozpin looked at him with concern as well.

"Yes," Oscar said. "Just a lot of walking this morning while we were shopping. My legs are a little tired. The doctor didn't let me do much while I was in the hospital this week. This is the longest I've been on my feet since I was hurt."

"If we overdid it today," Ozpin began, but Oscar cut him off.

"I'm fine. This needs to be done," he said tersely. "You need to know what's coming. It won't take me long to get back in shape once I can start exercising again, and I'll just be sitting here resting while we're talking."

Ozpin's expression was one of unhappy disapproval, but he didn't comment further as he came over to his desk with his silver teapot filled with hot chocolate. "Would either of you like some?"

"No, thank you, Ozpin," Glynda replied, and Oscar shook his head as well. He'd started to become accustomed to the sweet, hot drink while they'd been in Mistral and Atlas, but he didn't have quite the same obsessive love of it that Ozpin seemed to.

Ozpin placed the teapot on his desk after pouring some into his mug before he picked something else up. "Oscar, I did pick this up for you earlier this week, after we decided you would be coming here." He moved over to where Oscar was sitting and handed him a closed Scroll. "I've already programmed a few important contacts into it – mine, Glynda's, and Qrow's to start. You can decide if you want to add anyone else later, but for the moment I just wanted you to have a few people whom you could contact in the event of an emergency."

"Oh, um… thank you," Oscar replied, taking the device, surprised at the sense of relief he felt. Growing up, he'd never had a Scroll. Reception to the CCTS was spotty even in the village where he'd lived with his parents, let alone on the farm with his aunt, since they were so far out from one of the larger cities. Qrow had been the first one to give him a Scroll, when they'd all been in Mistral. He'd gotten so used to having one that it had felt strange to realize that he'd either lost it or Salem had taken it away from him when he'd been captured by the Hound.

"I also created a Beacon ID for you. It will give you all the same access the students have, as well as access to our apartment and my office," Ozpin added. "Once you're a little more healed, we'll work out a training schedule and devise a weapon for you."

Oscar nodded, running his finger over the Scroll before he tucked it in his pocket. "Okay, that sounds like a good plan." It was, assuming that they accepted everything that he had to say once they heard it, of course.

Ozpin's terminal beeped again, and he moved behind the desk to clear the notification, settling into his chair. "Come in."

The elevator door slid open again, revealing the tall, lanky figure of Qrow, who was tucking his flask back inside his shirt. He looked exactly the way Oscar remembered he did the first time they'd met – grey button up with the long tail, black pants, tattered red cape, Harbinger sheathed at his back. "Sorry I wasn't here earlier," he grumbled. "Should have just slipped away from Tai and the girls last night and flown over across the water." He spotted Oscar as he meandered into the office and gave him a once over with his red eyes. "This pipsqueak is the seer, or fortune teller, Oz?"

Oscar rolled his eyes. "Nice to know some things never change."

"Say what, kid?"

"The first time we met, you called me pipsqueak," Oscar said. "Nice to know that hasn't changed."

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Kid, we've never met before."

"You've never met me in this timeline," Oscar corrected. "I met you almost half a year ago, by my reckoning. You were drinking in a bar in Mistral."

"That sounds about right," Glynda murmured.

It was Qrow's turn to roll his eyes as he dropped into the vacant seat. "Yeah, yeah. You know me too well." He glanced at Ozpin, kicking back, and balancing the chair on its two back legs. "So, Oz… want to kick this wonderful party off?"

Ozpin sighed. "Qrow, sarcasm won't be useful right now." He looked at Oscar. "Oscar is the one who knows what we'll be facing, so he's the one we need to listen to." He settled back into his chair and picked up his mug. "Oscar?"

Oscar took a deep breath. "Okay. I – I'm not really sure where to begin. There's… a lot to explain and a lot of it is… bad. It's a lot to take in. I just want to make sure that the events I lived through don't happen again, since I seem to have been given a chance to change everything, but I don't know why."

"Begin wherever you need to," Ozpin said softly. He took a sip from his mug, brown eyes fixed on Oscar's face from behind his tinted lenses.

Oscar rubbed his forehead, thinking fast. "Okay – um…" He blew out a frustrated breath, before he nodded. Better to start small, perhaps, with how he got involved? Yeah, that would make sense. "I guess… my involvement started when I moved to my aunt's farm a few years ago. I went to live with her after my parents were killed during a Grimm attack on our village. For a couple of years, I helped out around the farm, but it was just the two of us, and some occasional help from a neighbor during harvest, to make sure we got everything in before the cold weather set in. Our farm was small – only large enough for what we could tend to on our own, and we struggled to get by sometimes, even with the money my parents left."

He paused to gather his thoughts again. "My mother was the teacher for the children in our village, and my dad owned the general store. I know they had been saving money for me to go to Mistral, to study more than my mother could teach me. Combat school wasn't really in their plans, but university was, and that was something that I really wanted too. After I moved in with my aunt though, I thought that goal was out of reach, and I would end up being a farmhand for the rest of my life."

"How old were you when you lost them?" Glynda asked, her voice soft but filled with sympathy. Oscar got it – his story wasn't unique, not with the Grimm marauding around Remnant and attacking villages.

"Eleven. I was about two months out from my twelfth birthday." Oscar sighed. "Our farm was remote enough that we rarely had to worry about the Grimm. Even though the work was hard, my aunt and I were happy for the most part, and that was enough to keep them away. I did kill a few small Grimm during the years I stayed with her – nothing larger than what I could take down with a pitchfork or the old Dust rifle she kept in the house for that purpose. But I still wanted to do something more with my life." He looked down. "I just… didn't expect that wish to manifest the way it has." He glanced up in time to see a look of remorse on Ozpin's face.

"Oscar, I…"

"Don't apologize," Oscar cut him off. "It's not your fault. I wasn't happy about it the first time you spoke to me – or even for a couple of months after that – but you don't get to choose your next incarnation. It took me a while to figure that out and really believe it, but I'm not mad about it anymore. I've gotten to meet a lot of wonderful people that I wouldn't have, even if the events haven't been all that great." He didn't want to dwell on the subject of reincarnation today. That was a loaded issue on its own, and he wanted to get past it. If it had to be discussed – and knowing what he did about Oz, Oscar was sure they would be discussing it – he wanted it to be just the two of them, without Qrow and Glynda around.

He forged ahead. "Since we were so isolated, the CCTS signals were spotty at best. We didn't have a holo-screen to be able to view things, but we got intermittent radio signals. When the 40th Vytal Festival came around, the towers boosted the signals as much as they could so that all of Remnant could at least hear the broadcasts. Again, the signal wasn't great, but I got a general idea of what happened." He looked at Ozpin seriously. "Salem and her agents wanted to sow chaos and discredit you and the other Headmasters as much as possible. During the first night of the finals round, there was an incident where one of your students injured one of Salem's agents that was planted in the Tournament for the purpose of stirring up negative feelings. The second night… a student was killed during the fight, and Salem's agents launched their attack. It ended with the Tower destroyed, a lot of students and citizens being killed, and…" he paused and looked at the floor again for a moment before he looked back up and met Ozpin's gaze, "…and your death."

Ozpin sighed as Glynda inhaled sharply and Qrow reached for his flask. "I see."

"It wasn't long after that when I started to realize that something was wrong… no, not wrong… different," Oscar continued. "I was having really vivid dreams about people and places I didn't recognize. Some of them were more like nightmares than dreams, but there didn't seem to be anything in common between the dreams – they all featured different people, different places, maybe different periods in history, although I'm not entirely sure about that part."

Qrow took a swig from his flask before looking at Ozpin. "Is that normal, Oz?"

"Yes, actually," the Headmaster said, taking a sip from his own mug. "The whole process of reincarnation is… lengthy and often strenuous. My new partner often will experience memories of my past lives in the form of dreams while the bond is forming between us, and a great deal depends on whether my death was violent or peaceful. It takes some time before I am aware of my new partner's consciousness, and we're close enough that I can speak to them and begin to use their senses to figure out where – and who – I am."

"It was… early spring, when you first spoke to me and introduced yourself," Oscar offered. "We were right in the middle of planting season."

"And the Tournament happens in the early fall, right before the start of term," Ozpin mused. "Yes, that would be about right."

"Huh." Qrow put his flask back inside his shirt.

"I thought I was going crazy at first," Oscar admitted. "It took you a couple of months to convince me that all of this was real and to persuade me to leave the farm and go to Mistral. I – I slipped out of the house one morning after leaving a note for my aunt and got on the train for Mistral. Once we made it there, you had me start looking for Qrow. I'm not sure how you knew he'd be there, but he was. I think I checked every bar and restaurant on the upper levels of Mistral for two days before I found him and asked him for Long Memory."

Glynda snorted softly, amused, and that drew a small smile from Ozpin and an eyeroll from Qrow. "Yeah, so I can be predictable at times. What of it?" the Huntsman asked.

Oscar took another breath – they were going to be getting into the… dangerous part of the story shortly. "Qrow took me to the house where everyone was staying and introduced me," Oscar continued. "By that time it was about a month before the start of the school year for Haven – pretty much a year since the Tournament – and we spent that month training and making preparations. There was a plan to find the Spring Maiden, and you said I needed to learn how to fight, so we were working hard to get ready, since we were sure there would be an attack on Haven right before the school year started, in the hopes that Salem's agents could secure the Relic of Knowledge."

Three questions came simultaneously when he paused for breath.

"Who's 'everyone'?" from Qrow.

"The Spring Maiden?" from Ozpin.

"An attempt to get the Haven Relic?" from Glynda.

"Um… yeah," Oscar said. Now they were really into uncomfortable territory, regarding loyalties and alliances, and he knew he'd need to be careful about what he said. Not because he didn't trust them, but because he still didn't know what their reactions to the news would be. He steeled himself. "I don't know all the details because of how bad the signal was on the night Beacon fell, but I guess when they launched their attack, Salem's agents seized control of the CCTS, trying to discredit the Academies and the Headmasters. During the broadcast they said some things that led Qrow and some other members of this group to believe that Haven would be the next target, and for that, they needed the Spring Maiden."

"Oscar – when Beacon fell… did they get the Relic of Choice?" Ozpin asked, his voice and posture tense.

"No," Oscar said quickly, knowing how closely Oz guarded that secret, even though he didn't fully understand why. "No, they didn't. Salem still had Grimm here trying to find the door to the Maiden Chamber when I was sent back."

Ozpin relaxed a little bit and let out a slow breath. "Good. From what you are saying, it also sounds like they don't have the Spring Maiden yet either. There's still time to find her." He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly thinking, before he looked back at Oscar. "Do you know where Cerelia is?"

"Cerelia?" Oscar asked. "Um, no. I don't know anyone by that name. The Spring Maiden was a woman working with… um…" he dropped his gaze to his hands for a moment before looking up at Qrow. "Working with your sister's tribe. Her name is – Vernal."

"Raven?" Qrow's voice was both surprised and pained as his chair fell forward to land on all fours again. "But why would she have the Spring Maiden and not tell us? Raven knows how long we've been looking for Cerelia."

Oscar bit his lip. "I don't know exactly, but I know that somehow Salem's agents learned where the Maiden was, and they managed to persuade or threaten Raven and Vernal into coming with them to Haven for the purpose of unsealing the Relic of Knowledge. Both of them fought against us and they went down to the Vault, but…"

"Wait, wait. Just wait," Qrow said, interrupting Oscar as he jumped to his feet. "That – no, that doesn't make any sense." He ran his hand through his greying hair. "Raven wouldn't –"

"Qrow, calm down and let Oscar finish," Ozpin began, but Qrow turned to face him sharply.

"No, Oz! I know my sister, and while she may be at odds with you over… everything, she would never side with Salem, threat or no threat. She just wouldn't!"

"I saw her there," Oscar said, voice barely above a whisper. "She let Salem's agents into Haven with her portal. She…" he trailed off.

"Oscar?" Glynda asked gently. "What's wrong?"

It was the moment of truth. Did he have enough credibility with them that they would believe what he was about to say? If they dismissed this part, then they would be dismissing everything that he had already said, and any possibility that he could tell them about Ironwood too. Oscar threaded his fingers together nervously in his lap, alternatively tightening and releasing his grip as the fought with himself. He didn't want to get hit again. He didn't think Ozpin would allow any harm to come to him, but… Oz hadn't stopped Qrow from hitting him the first time, and he had run rather than stand up for himself, leaving Oscar to shoulder the burden of the events in Argus and Atlas.

"Oscar?" Ozpin asked.

"She – Raven – and… and Lionheart were both working with Salem's agents."

Everything stopped and they stared at Oscar. He could feel the weight of their gazes and tightened his hands in his lap again.

"What?" Ozpin asked, softly, his voice pained.

"Professor Lionheart and Raven were both working with Salem's agents," Oscar repeated. He allowed his gaze to meet Ozpin's even though part of him felt like hiding from the weight of the gazes on him. "He pretended like he was going to send a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses with us to go after Raven's tribe to try to get to Vernal before Salem's agents could, but when we got to the Academy that night Raven was already there, and she and Lionheart let Salem's followers into the Academy. There was a big battle, and during the fight, Lionheart opened the path to the Vault for Raven, Vernal, and Cinder. They tried to get the Relic but failed – we ended up with it when the battle was over."

There was dead silence in the office – to the point where it passed beyond awkward or uncomfortable and into painful. Ozpin and Oscar's gazes were locked on each other, with Glynda and Qrow just staring at the two of them.

Finally, Ozpin broke his staring contest with Oscar. He turned his chair to face the window behind him and just sat, the silence still lingering. No one seemed to know what to say or do, until Ozpin spoke, his voice soft and full of pain. "Again… yet again, she tries to turn my allies against me."

"Ozpin…" Glynda started, only to trail off when Ozpin held up his hand to stop her, his back still to the rest of them as he dealt with whatever feelings of pain or betrayal he was going through.

"I just can't… it can't be true," Qrow muttered, more to himself than to the others in the room. "Raven wouldn't… she couldn't…" He seemed more fixed on that fact than the possibility of one of the Headmasters turning on them. His flask was out again, and he was starting to pace the area between the extra chairs and the elevator.

Oscar's gaze dropped to the floor, watching the gears moving beneath it and wishing he was anywhere else. "I'm sorry," he whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"None of this is your fault, Oscar," Glynda said immediately. "You were right when you said that it would be a lot to take in, but you didn't cause this – and this information may give us a chance to stop it before it happens."

Silence again, other than the sound of the ticking from the clockwork and the sound of Qrow's footsteps as he paced.

Finally, Ozpin sighed again, although he still didn't turn back to face them. Oscar didn't blame him, knowing what he did about the millennia-long battle between Oz and Salem – this had to be cutting him deeply. "Oscar, I think we need some more details. Let's start simply if you don't mind. You said that Salem had agents – plural – working to bring down Beacon Tower. Do you know their names?"

"A few of them," Oscar said. "There may be others that I don't know about, and I don't know all the roles they may have played, but of her agents that I do know…" he paused in thought before continuing, "… there was Hazel Reinhart, Tyrian Callows, Cinder Fall, and two teenagers I think. I'm fairly sure that Beacon's systems were hacked by someone named Arthur Watts – he's Atlesian, I think."

"I know Hazel," Ozpin said slowly, "although I'm not sure about the others. The name Arthur Watts sounds familiar somehow," he added, finally turning his chair back around to face the rest of the room's occupants. Whatever he was feeling, it wasn't visible in his expression – he'd apparently been able to lock down his emotions in favor of being the leader-in-charge for the moment.

"It should, Oz," Qrow offered. "Jimmy was really upset about it a couple of years ago." The other Huntsman looked thoughtful. "I think it all happened two or three years ago – Watts was a scientist working on projects for the military, and he was caught mis-using resources and funding. Jimmy ended up stripping him of his authority and access, and assigned him to low-level testing on the next model of the standard security drones, remember? It was a huge scandal, and then Jimmy got really upset when there was an incident during the testing phase and Watts was killed."

"Ah, yes. I remember now," Ozpin nodded. "I didn't follow it that closely, since it was strictly internal within the Atlesian military, which is James' purview, but I remember him talking about it to me as the investigation was on-going."

"Could that already be a difference between what Oscar knows and what we've already experienced?" Glynda asked. "Maybe things are already changing or different from what he knows."

"No," Oscar said. "I don't know all the details, but I'm sure General Ironwood or one of the Atlas Councilmen mentioned something about Watts dying in the incident you mentioned, but he really just faked his death. Salem must have found him sometime after that, unless whatever he was doing to misuse his resources was at her behest as well. General Ironwood knew who he was when we finally learned he was the one behind the hacking, but it was almost half a year after the battle at Haven that we learned Watts was involved. Whatever it was that he did, it definitely contributed to the collapse of Beacon Tower and the chaos that was happening in Atlas before I was sent back here."

"We can have James reopen that incident and look into it again to try to confirm whether Watts really died or not," Ozpin said. "But to hack the CCTS, he'd need access to the Tower and the coding itself through the central terminal in the communication room or the secured network room, and that's not possible during operational hours. Once access to the public ends each day, only a few people have access to the Tower – myself, Glynda, and a few technicians and guard units."

Oscar tried to remember what Ruby and the others had told him about the Fall – not much, since they hadn't liked to talk about that night, and Oz hadn't mentioned much about it either, since Oscar was already so overwhelmed with everything happening with the soul merger and his training. "From what little I remember hearing about from the others," he ventured slowly, "it was a virus that got implanted in the Tower's systems some time before the actual night of the Fall. It just activated that night, and it cut off Beacon's ability to call for help from the other Kingdoms."

"By design, no doubt," Glynda said sourly. "If Salem was openly attacking the Academies, she wouldn't want to take a chance on whether or not the Tower would actually be destroyed in the fighting, especially if there was a chance that the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale could successfully repel her forces."

"We can search for a virus though, and have it removed before it activates," Ozpin said, sounding more confident. "That's something else I can ask James to do, and to keep a constant check running until we're past the Vytal Festival." He started to open a file on his terminal before he paused. "Oscar, do you have any idea when the virus was implanted?"

Oscar shook his head. "I just know that it happened some time before the Tournament." He looked down again. "I – I wasn't coping well with everything that was going on. A lot of it was still overwhelming me, what with having you – Oz – in my head – and all of the training, and…" He shook his head again. "The others I was with seemed reluctant to talk about everything that happened that night, and they didn't like to talk about Beacon unless they were reliving a happy memory of being here."

Ozpin rubbed his forehead. "Alright – that's a setback, but not an insurmountable one." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then reached for some paper and a pen and began making a note. "When we're done here, I'll contact James and ask him to have someone look into the CCTS' systems for any possible intrusions, and to run random checks until we're sure that it's safe. We'll just have to be careful about what information we put out on the network," he added.

"We can develop some new security guidelines and release them to the students and faculty here," Glynda offered. "It might be hard to communicate it to the Kingdom at large, but maybe James' technicians can strengthen the security on the network somehow and send out general guidelines to the Kingdom. Not everyone will see them, but enough people might that it could help reduce any access that Watts or Salem's other agents could get to the system."

Ozpin nodded before putting his pen down. "Oscar, you mentioned that you were working with others besides Qrow when you got to Mistral. Can you tell us who they are? If they are possible allies for us, then reaching out to them now…" The Headmaster seemed to be avoiding talking about Lionheart and Raven for as long as possible.

That was fine with Oscar. He didn't like thinking about those betrayals either and he hadn't even fully merged with Oz at the time they happened, yet they had still cut him deeply because of the empathic bond he'd shared with the old wizard. "Sure. After Beacon fell, several of your students decided that they were going to track down the people responsible, so they made their way to Mistral, and that's where I met them, after I found Qrow in that bar," Oscar said, feeling a little more confident here.

"Which students?" Glynda asked. "Fourth years, who were close to graduating?"

"Uh… no. I think they said they had all just finished their first year and would have been starting their second year when the Fall happened. Since I didn't meet them until late summer, I guess by the time everything really started to happen they would have been close to being third years, but after Beacon fell it took months for them to recover, reunite, and then make their way to Mistral. It was Team RWBY and Team JNPR."

Glynda and Ozpin exchanged looks. "We definitely don't have teams by those names at Beacon right now," the deputy headmistress confirmed.

"Who were the students?" Ozpin asked.

"Um… Team JNPR had Jaune Arc – he was the team leader – Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren," Oscar said. "Team RWBY was…"

"That was only three students," Glynda interrupted. "Who was their fourth?"

Oscar thought back. "Uhhh… her name was Pyrrha, I think?" He thought again, feeling more confident, since the others hadn't talked about their missing member very much. "Yeah, that was it. Pyrrha Nikos. She – she died during the Fall of Beacon. That was one reason why the rest of her team was there – they were trying to avenge her death."

"Miss Nikos?" Glynda sounded shocked. "She's an amazing fighter – she's won every tournament she's ever entered since she enrolled at combat school and she's famous across Remnant for her skills. She's good enough to be accepted at any Academy she chooses without any hesitation on the part of the Headmaster."

"I don't know exactly how it happened," Oscar admitted. "The rest of her team didn't like to talk about it." He thought back to that conversation he'd had with Ruby in the dojo that one night when they'd both admitted to being scared about what they were facing. "From what I gathered, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win, trying to keep the Tower from falling, just trying to buy time for help to come."

"Like a true Huntress," Ozpin murmured.

Oscar nodded. "The other team was Team RWBY…" he paused and glanced at Qrow before soldiering on. "It was led by Ruby Rose, and also had –"

"Wait, stop!" Qrow interrupted again. "Ruby? My niece?" When Oscar nodded, he shook his head. "That's not possible. You said all of this is supposed to happen during the next Vytal Tournament, right?" Oscar nodded again. "Ruby wouldn't be old enough to be a Beacon student. She's only going to be fourteen later this month, and by the time the next Tournament comes around, she'd still be fifteen, more than a month from her sixteenth birthday."

"She got admitted early," Oscar explained. "Again, I don't know a lot of the details of what happened before Oz bonded with me," he sounded like a broken audio track, and he was beginning to wonder how much he could hope to actually change when he had so little information prior to the events in Mistral. Was this just a losing battle? "but I gathered from Oz and the others that at least part of the reason he admitted her early was because she has silver eyes." Qrow just stared at him, and Oscar continued. "So – Team RWBY. Ruby was the team leader, and the other members were Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby's sister Yang."

"Weiss Schnee?" Ozpin asked. "The heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?"

Oscar nodded. "By the time I met her, she was no longer the heiress though." At the confused looks from the adults, he sighed. "I didn't meet all of them at once. Um, I met Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren first. They were going by the name RNJR – or JNRR, if you listen to Nora," he corrected with a bit of a laugh, remembering her exuberant insistence on that name. "But about two weeks after I met the four of them, Weiss and Yang arrived, and then Blake turned up during the fight at Haven."

He thought back, trying to remember the order of events. "I think Ruby mentioned that her team got split up after Beacon fell – Yang got hurt, Blake ran away because she felt guilty about something – Yang's injury, maybe? – and Weiss got taken home to Atlas by her father. Ruby met up with what remained of JNPR, and they started their trip to Mistral. Yang was healing, but I'm not sure what Blake was doing, but I think it had something to do with visiting her parents in Menagerie. Something happened at a party or a fundraiser in Atlas, and it ended in Weiss being disinherited by her father. Since she wasn't the heiress, she didn't see a reason to stay in Atlas, so she ran away and met up with Yang somewhere along the way."

Ozpin sighed and began making more notes. "All right. I'll keep an eye out for their applications – if they were students originally, likely they'll apply here again. We can get a feel for what type of students they are, and perhaps bring them in on some of this before the Fall."

"They're… passionate?" Oscar offered. "I only knew them for about six months altogether, but… it felt like they all had a personal reason for getting involved, other than just the Fall, even if that was what started their involvement beyond that attack. Ruby told me…"

"What?" Qrow asked.

"She said… that she was scared, but not just for herself," Oscar admitted. "She was more scared of the fact that Salem would target anyone, regardless of if they stood against her or not. She missed Pyrrha and the others who were hurt or killed during the Fall, but she knew that if things had been different and she'd been the one who had died, the others would keep fighting on her behalf too, despite the danger." He smiled a little. "She had a way of inspiring the others."

"What about Leo?" Qrow growled. "And Raven?"

Oscar rubbed his forehead. "We weren't sure what was going on with him at first. The Fall of Beacon caused a lot of chaos in all the Kingdoms, since the entire CCTS network went down with it. Local comms were still working, but only in areas close to the relay towers."

"Something else to look into," Ozpin murmured. "While it's inconvenient when maintenance needs to be done on the Towers, if something like this is what is ahead of us, we may need to look into strengthening the network somehow or putting redundancies in place, and that way the other Kingdoms don't lose their access." He made some more notes.

"The first night I met Qrow, he and RNJR had just had a meeting with Professor Lionheart, and I guess Lionheart said some things that didn't really fit with the orders that Oz had left for him," Oscar said.

Ozpin tensed again at that, and Oscar braced himself as well. "Do you know what it was that he said?" Ozpin asked softly.

"It was… one of the first times I'd given Oz control of my body, so I didn't get the entire story," Oscar admitted. "I think there was something about most of the teachers not being at Haven, so there weren't a lot of people there to guard the Relic. I guess Lionheart claimed that all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses were needed to deal with the Grimm in the wake of the Fall, since the broadcast had scared people and then with the loss of the CCTS… it just drew Grimm to all the Kingdoms, not just Vale." He paused to think again. "Qrow had the location of Raven's encampment and wanted to go after the Spring Maiden immediately, with a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses to make sure there would be enough people to subdue all the bandits and apprehend Raven and Vernal, but Lionheart said the Council wouldn't allow it because of all the Grimm attacks and bandits being a lower priority for them."

"But Lionheart sits on the Council and he's in charge of the assignment of Huntsmen and Huntresses," Glynda said slowly. "That wouldn't be a matter for the full Council, even if something happened to Beacon. Lionheart could simply post the available assignment on the mission board with a request for a certain number of Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Ozpin closed his eyes, an expression of deep pain crossing his face. Oscar thought he understood why. That day in the snow, after the train derailment – the day when they had forced the truth out into the open… Oz had said it then.

Do you really think Leo was the first? That he didn't say those exact same words to me?

It was another betrayal – or… the same betrayal being repeated, anyway. Even worse, this time Ozpin knew that the betrayal was coming, thanks to Oscar. "How long has he been working for her?" the Headmaster asked softly.

Oscar squirmed a little in his seat, wishing he had better news. "I'm not sure. At least a few months, maybe longer by the time I met him."

"I see."

Glynda stood up and moved over to Ozpin's side. "Oz – it's not your fault if Leonardo is a traitor. You said it yourself when you brought us in – she works from the shadows. It would only make sense that she would try to turn your allies to her ends."

Ozpin was quiet, his brown eyes filled with that quiet pain that Oscar knew only too well, since he'd felt it from his co-inhabitant before he'd been sent back. "Oscar?"

"Since Lionheart's excuse was that the Council would never approve going after Raven and her tribe, Qrow was going to look for some other Huntsmen and Huntresses who weren't necessarily inclined to take orders from the Council, while Oz worked on training the rest of us in combat. At that point it was about a month before the start of the fall term, and both Oz and Qrow were convinced that if there was going to be an attack on Haven, it would be before the students returned, given how strong a defense the Beacon students and the ones visiting from the other Kingdoms put up during the Tournament," Oscar continued. "Qrow didn't seem to have any luck finding any help that could be trusted," he said carefully, trying not to look at the other Huntsman, feeling odd about referring to him in the past tense while said Huntsman was standing right next to him, "but one night he came back in time for dinner, and he had Yang and Weiss with him."

"That doesn't make sense," Qrow said. "The Councils don't own the Huntsmen and Huntresses. The whole point of the system is that Huntsmen and Huntresses are free to work for who they want to. A lot of them don't trust the Councils, so there should have been plenty of them available for the sort of mission you're talking about."

"Yeah," Oscar whispered. "When Qrow – you – came back without finding us any more help…" he trailed off, before swallowing nervously and taking a deep breath, "it turned out that…" He didn't want to say it. What Lionheart had done was indeed, reprehensible, as Oz had put it. Oscar still had trouble understanding why Oz had covered for the Faunus Headmaster in the wake of the Haven battle. It just didn't make sense – how many of those Huntsmen and Huntresses had families or friends who would never have any real closure?

It hasn't happened yet. There's still a chance to stop it before it does, he reminded himself. "Well… it looked like all of the Mistral Huntsmen and Huntresses were dead, or presumed missing," Oscar admitted. "Assignments that should have taken a day or two at most were weeks overdue." The more he spoke, the grimmer the expressions on the adults' faces became. "Qrow and Oz… well, it seemed to them like the Huntsmen and Huntresses had been ambushed."

"The mission boards are confidential – restricted to licensed Huntsmen, Huntresses, and the Headmasters or staff with the authority to post missions once they're approved by the Headmasters," Ozpin said. "Precisely to prevent someone from posting a fake mission and leading a Huntsman or Huntress into a trap. For that many Huntsmen or Huntresses to be missing or delayed…" The color drained from his face. "Leo?"

Oscar looked down at his hands again, and slowly nodded. "He – he gave the names and locations of the Huntsmen to two of Salem's agents – Hazel Reinhart and Tyrian Callows," he said softly. "They tracked the Huntsmen down and murdered them."

Qrow swore viciously and went for his flask again, storming over to the side of the room. Glynda looked torn between anger and being sick, and Ozpin…

Ozpin looked defeated, betrayed, and grief-stricken all at the same time. He placed his elbows on his desk and buried his face in his hands, his long fingers rubbing at his temples. Oscar hated being the bearer of bad news – and there was still more bad news to come. He hadn't even gotten into the events in Atlas before he'd been sent back here – and what would Ozpin do to know that it wasn't just Lionheart who had betrayed him, but General Ironwood as well? If Ozpin was reacting like this just to the news about Lionheart…

"We can't let that happen," Glynda said after the silence had lingered almost to the point of being painful again. "But we don't even know if Leo is already working with Salem. Judging him without evidence…"

"If we don't do something, he's going to betray us and a lot of people – Huntsmen and Huntresses – will die," Qrow snarled. "What the hell could drive him to betray us? He knows what will happen if Salem gets the Relics."

"Fear," Oscar said quietly. Glynda and Qrow returned their attention to him, while Ozpin remained hunched over, face hidden from view. Oscar wrung his hands a little, thinking back to that day in the snow, the impressions he'd gotten from Oz before the argument broke out with Team RWBY, and even what had happened to General Ironwood months after Lionheart's betrayal. "She got to him, made him fear more for himself than for the people he was bound to protect." He looked down again, remembering.

"This can't be. I knew you would be back, but… you made it here. You found Qrow. How?" The genuine shock on Lionheart's face warred with Oz's quiet despair in the back of Oscar's mind. "Wait – you can't have had this form for long. You're… not really Ozpin right now. A boy, a child. If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me. And I can finally get out of all of this. I can finally be free."

"She… she made him feel like he had no other option – that he was trapped between staying true to Oz and fighting what he believed was a losing battle or allowing her to use him until she had no further use for him, and dying anyway," Oscar continued. "He hoped that he could please her enough that she would leave him alone once she no longer needed him."

"He wouldn't be the first to be swayed in such a way," Ozpin murmured quietly.

"If – if it helps, I do think he regretted his choice," Oscar offered. "Not enough to make him change his mind in the end, but he knew he'd made the wrong decision."

Qrow scoffed. "Then that wasn't regret, kid. Nor genuine remorse."

"What else, Oscar?" Ozpin asked, his voice dull and heavy sounding. "What else happened?"

"Lionheart called Qrow, set up a meeting for us to come to Haven to talk about the raid on the Branwen tribe," Oscar said, feeling miserable about having to say all of this. "When we got there, a fight broke out," Oscar said slowly. "It was chaos for a while, but in the middle of the fight, Lionheart opened the path down to the Vault, and Raven, Vernal, and Cinder all went down after the Relic, while the rest of us were fighting. Weiss was nearly killed, and Jaune unlocked his Semblance trying to help her. Eventually, we gained enough of the upper hand that Yang was able to chase after her mother and Cinder, and when everything was said and done, Yang reappeared with the Relic of Knowledge. According to her, Cinder was gone, possibly dead, Vernal was definitely dead, and Raven fled when Yang confronted her."

"Again," Qrow muttered. "She ran from Yang again, just like she did when she was born." Another swig from his flask. Oscar eyed him warily. The Huntsman was beginning to sway a little, and his anger over everything Oscar was telling him was apparent.

"Oz took control of my body to fight Hazel, but exhausted himself doing so," Oscar continued. "He pushed me – well, my body – past the limits of my training at the time, and before I passed out, he told me to tell everyone that we needed to take the Relic to Atlas."

"Who is Cinder?" Glynda asked. "You mentioned her a couple of times, but you only said she was one of Salem's agents."

Oscar nodded. "I think she was the mastermind behind the Fall of Beacon, given the way Team RWBY and Team JNPR reacted to her when they saw her at the fight. I think she was the one with the orders to make sure the Relics were recovered. I don't know what happened in the Vault, but there was apparently a fight between Cinder, Raven, and Vernal, or at least that's what Yang said after she came back with the Relic."

"But you said Vernal died, correct?" Glynda asked slowly. Oscar nodded, confused. "Wasn't she supposed to be the Spring Maiden?" Oscar nodded again, not sure he was following her line of questioning. "How was a Maiden defeated in combat? Especially if Raven was fighting alongside her? It would have been two to one, and Vernal would have had magic on her side."

Oscar shook his head. "I'm not sure. Maybe she ambushed Vernal somehow after the Vault was open? I don't think anyone except Raven knows the full story of what happened down there." He paused to think. "I know Lionheart ended up dead. He tried to run from the battle after we got the upper hand, but Qrow said he was found dead in his office the next morning. I didn't find out about that for several days because Oz exhausted me so thoroughly. I was unconscious for two days and stuck in bed for almost two weeks when I came down with a fever. Once I started to get better, Oz and Qrow came up with a cover story to hide everything about the Relics, and… we claimed that Lionheart died defending the school. I didn't get it at the time, but Oz said that Lionheart deserved to be remembered for all of the good service he did, not for his betrayal."

Qrow growled again. "That's just wrong. Betrayal like that – it shouldn't be swept under the rug." He paused and looked at Ozpin, who still hadn't moved. "Oz, I –"

"I understand your feelings, Qrow," the Headmaster said quietly. "But it's far more complicated than that, if I am understanding Oscar correctly."

"I didn't mean –"

"Qrow… it's fine. We can talk about it later," Ozpin said firmly, finally raising his head from his hands. He held Qrow's gaze for a long moment, before returning his attention to Oscar. "You mentioned that you were in Atlas before you came back, Oscar. How did that come about?"

"After the battle at Haven, Blake joined us too. We – all of us – took those two weeks while I was laid up to recover and then took the Argus Limited to Argus." He was not going to mention Jinn. Not yet and not until he had to. That debacle had been too personal and – at least for now, needed to stay between him and Ozpin.

"Why Argus?" Glynda asked. "Why not take an airship straight to Atlas?"

"General Ironwood had ordered the Atlas borders closed," Oscar said. "He was trying to ensure that Salem's agents couldn't get into the city to begin infiltrating and pulling the same tricks there that they had at Beacon. Since both Oz and Weiss were with us, the hope was that we could tell the Atlas forces stationed at Argus that we were escorting Weiss home." He gave a rueful smile. "It… didn't really work out. The commander at the Argus base was willing to take Weiss, but not the rest of us. Weiss was afraid to go back by herself – she knew if she went back to Atlas on her own, she'd be delivered right back to her father and wouldn't get a chance to deliver any message to General Ironwood." He flushed a little with embarrassment. "We – ended up stealing an Atlas airship and fighting a battle with the commander of the Argus base and some Grimm that tried to attack the city because of the fight before the commander saw reason and let us go."

The adults were staring at him again. Oscar felt his cheeks heat up even more. "It was the only thing we could think of to do!" he exclaimed. "We weren't getting anywhere with the commander, and we couldn't risk leaving the Relic out in the open for as long as it might have taken to try to negotiate with her or to get a message to Ironwood some other way."

"That was reckless," Glynda scolded.

"We knew it was," Oscar agreed. "It was the only way forward we could see, though. There were ten of us at that point though," he ticked them off on his fingers, "all four members of RWBY, the three members of JNPR, myself, Qrow, and an old lady named Maria who joined us while we were on the Argus Limited. We were staying with Jaune's sister, sister-in-law, and nephew while we were in Argus, and while they were happy to let us stay for a bit, it wasn't fair to ask them to let us stay indefinitely, and we didn't have a lot of funds available to find somewhere else to stay."

Glynda shook her head. Ozpin and Qrow didn't seem to have anything to add to her semi-scolding, so Oscar continued the story. "When we got to Atlas, we weren't sure what to do. We were on a stolen ship, and…well, things didn't look good. General Ironwood had recalled the entire military back to Atlas to defend it and Mantle and we were still worried about being separated. We landed in Mantle and went to see a doctor that Maria knew. He was explaining everything that had been going on in Atlas – the Dust embargo, the closing of the borders, the…"

"Dust embargo?" Ozpin asked, brow furrowed.

"Oh, yeah. As part of closing the borders, and because he was trying to keep the other Kingdoms from stockpiling Dust that they might be able to use against Atlas, General Ironwood ordered that the SDC and other Dust companies in Atlas were forbidden from exporting to other Kingdoms until he was certain the other Kingdoms weren't going to declare war on Atlas," Oscar replied. "It led to… a lot of tension, in Mantle especially. Security was everywhere, and people in Mantle were starting to get angry at the General and the way he was throwing his political and military weight around. He told us when we finally were able to see him that he didn't care if he was hated, as long as he was sure people would be safe."

Qrow snorted. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Always acting the martyr." He gulped down another swig from his flask.

"There was a Grimm attack on Mantle while we were talking to Maria's friend, which we managed to repel, but then some of Ironwood's men arrived and arrested us for arriving in a stolen ship and landing in Mantle instead of Atlas like we'd been ordered to. They took us up to the Academy to meet the General, and he filled us in on the plan he'd developed. He wanted to take Amity Colosseum and build a new CCTS tower on top of it, then launch it as high into the atmosphere as he could, beyond the reach of Salem and the Grimm. The Atlesian scientists behind the project thought that having it up that high would re-establish global communication, even if another Tower went down."

"Ambitious," Ozpin murmured, the lines in his forehead deepening as he thought. "It could work, I suppose, but it would be a complicated and risky plan. So many resources…"

"That was part of the problem," Oscar agreed. "Mantle was bearing all of the burden, between the embargo, people not able to work with the Dust companies having to close their doors, the constant Grimm attacks while resources that should have been used for repairs in the city were diverted to Amity." He sighed. "We got so close, and then it all fell apart."

Tension was back in all of the adults. "Fell apart?" Glynda asked carefully.

"It was an election year," Oscar explained. "Weiss' father was running for an open Council seat against a woman from Mantle. It looked, right up until the end, like she would win, but at the last moment, it seemed like a flood of new votes came in for Jacques Schnee. There was also a massacre at Robyn's election headquarters and a lot of people died. Watts and Tyrian Callows were behind that – and they made it look like Penny had done it."

"Who's Penny?" Ozpin asked.

"Penny Polendina," Oscar said. "She was the daughter of Maria's friend that we met when we first arrived in Atlas and she was a friend of Ruby's – they met before the Tournament, from what I gathered." Should he mention about her being a robot? He considered for a moment before deciding that it wasn't important. "She was extremely gifted, and General Ironwood had named her the official Protector of Mantle to try to soothe the people down there. But Watts and Callows made it look like she was responsible for the massacre."

"Poor girl," Qrow said, blearily.

"Yeah," Oscar agreed. "She took it hard. Jacques and the Council wanted Ironwood to defend his position, so we all went to Schnee Manor to support him and be witnesses if he needed us. During the meeting, Watts – who had conspired with Jacques to ensure he won the election – used Jacques' Council credentials to turn off the heating in Mantle. People panicked, then got angry, and that drew the Grimm in. I went back to the Academy, since I was safeguarding the Relic, and.."

"Why wasn't it put in the Vault with the Staff of Creation?" Ozpin interrupted.

"Because the Winter Maiden was ill," Oscar said. "She was close to dying and General Ironwood didn't believe that she had the strength to travel to the Vault and open it for us. We decided that I would hold onto it since I wasn't going on missions like the others, and as soon as Fria passed and we knew who the new Maiden would be, we would seal it away then. The hope was that Winter Schnee, Weiss' older sister and one of General Ironwood's most trusted officers would become the next Maiden."

"I see," Ozpin said heavily. "She's still alive right now, but that's something else we'll have to watch out for."

This was the part he didn't want to admit to. "I went back to the Academy to make sure the Relic would be safe, while General Ironwood went to deal with Watts, Qrow and Robyn went with one of Ironwood's men to deal with Tyrian, and everyone else went to fight the Grimm and evacuate Mantle and the crater up to Atlas. I was in my room at the Academy, monitoring the feeds on my Scroll, and…" he looked down again, his cheeks heating up with shame. "I was attacked by this strange woman with a shapeshifting Semblance. She stole the Relic from me, and I chased after her and ran into JNPR. They'd just come back from Mantle and then… everything just went crazy." His speech was getting faster, trying to get all the bad news out before anyone could interrupt him with questions. "The next thing I knew, we were being chased by Atlas guards, and Ruby sent out a group broadcast that General Ironwood was going to abandon Mantle, even though we hadn't finished evacuating yet. He wanted Winter to kill Fria and claim her power, then use the Staff to raise Atlas up into the atmosphere, and…"

"WHAT?!" chorused three voices together.

"I know," Oscar whispered. "I could tell that Oz – you – trusted him more than anyone else. It – I didn't know what else to do. I broke away from JNPR and went to try to talk to him, to convince him to trust us again, to let us help, but…"

General Ironwood's dead eyes stared at him. Cold, unfeeling. "You still think I'm afraid."

"We all are. It's what we do in our fear that reveals –"

"That's easy for you to say!" Ironwood started moving closer, circling around, forcing him to step back to try to keep some distance from the suddenly volatile man he'd thought was his friend. He thought Ironwood had understood earlier when he'd told him the truth. "You can label me whatever you'd like, but the fact of the matter is I was right! The minute I softened, let my guard down, that's when Salem had her opening."

Oscar had to get through to him. "If you abandon Mantle, you abandon our best chance at reuniting the world. You abandon Remnant leaving millions to fend for themselves so a few can survive! What kind of –"

"All excellent philosophical points that won't matter if Salem wins!"

"Listen to me," Oscar cried, his voice cracking with his earnest plea.

"No, you listen! I am done letting others' inability to see the big picture get in the way of doing what is right! Robyn, the Council, this Kingdom… even you."

There was only one thing left that he could try to make the General see reason. "Then you're as dangerous as she is, James," he said softly, hoping that Ironwood would understand.

Ironwood was silent for several moments. "James is what my friends call me. To you, it's General." Hand to his hip, his gun was out. There was a crack as the Dust round fired, and then the shock of the impact against his aura, before he felt his aura flare, and…

"Oscar?"

"Oscar, are you alright?"

"Kid, snap out of it."

Oscar shook his head hard, trying to banish the memory that had flared up. "I'm okay. Sorry." Those cold, dead, blue eyes would haunt him for a long time. 'To you, it's General'. "I went down to the Vault, where he was waiting for Winter. I wanted to talk to him, to try to make him understand, to rebuild trust… but…" He took a deep breath. "He was beyond reason at that point. He – he shot me."

Now Ozpin truly looked like was going to be sick, and Glynda and Qrow weren't much better.

"Oscar… I… James couldn't…" Ozpin managed after a moment.

"He did," Oscar said, touching the spot on his chest where the bullet had shattered against his aura and shattered his aura in turn. "I – fell from the Vault's walkway, but I was able to use some of your magic to save myself." Better not to mention Oz's return after the months of silence. Not until he'd had time to talk to Ozpin privately about Jinn and the day in the snow. "We regrouped, but Salem had arrived – leading an army of Grimm. The city's hard light Dust shields were keeping Atlas safe, but Fria died, and Penny somehow became the Winter Maiden."

Ozpin was staring at Oscar, seemingly unable to say more. Oscar was almost done with the story, and he wanted to just get it over with. He didn't want to know what would happen if Ozpin shattered the way Lionheart or Ironwood had. This time, he wasn't in Oscar's head – he couldn't just run and hide the way Oz had after Jinn told his and Salem's story.

"We met up with Robyn's people, and we came up with a plan – Ruby, Penny, Blake, Weiss, and Nora would go to the military base and try to steal the launch codes so we could launch Amity Tower into the atmosphere with the help of Penny's father and Maria, so we could warn the other Kingdoms about Salem. Yang, Jaune, Ren, and I would help with clearing out Grimm and finish trying to evacuate everyone in Mantle into the crater so we could keep them warm since the heat was still out. While we were helping, Salem sent a Grimm after me and captured me. She wanted me to tell her how to find the Beacon Relic, or at the very least to give her the password for the Lamp, but I refused. She – she's the one who burned me with her magic." He touched his chest gingerly, since he'd rebound the wound with clean bandages that morning. "Then she let Hazel beat me to try to break me. I lost track of how long he'd been abusing me, and finally I let Oz take over control, at his insistence. He did… something – and it made Salem mad. There was the bright flash of light and…"

Emerald green energy flared inside the dome beneath Oscar's body, and there was a strange ripping sensation deep inside his mind. Oscar couldn't even begin to articulate the pain that sensation caused, and between that and the very physical pain in his body, he could barely tell which way was up.

OZ! he screamed in his mind, unable to make his voice work, his throat was so raw from screaming through the torture.

I'm so sorry, Oscar. Goodbye…

OZ!

"And the next thing I knew, I was here, and you were bending over me," Oscar said. "I don't really remember much beyond that until I woke up in the hospital."

It was done – he'd told them everything pertinent that he could think of about the attacks on the Academies. Sure, there were some details he'd left out, like the train derailment and Jinn's story… he'd tell those eventually, but he wanted to keep that between he and Ozpin, at least for now. That was… intensely private, and he understood that a little better now than he had in the moments before and after Ruby had asked her damning question, but Qrow and Glynda would need to know eventually, he was sure of that.

"That's – that's it," he added, not looking up from the floor. He braced himself for a barrage of questions, but that uncomfortable, painful silence lingered. He dared to look up a little, barely moving his head enough that he could see Ozpin.

The Headmaster had buried his head in his hands again, and Oscar felt a surge of guilt at exposing everything as bluntly as he had. He'd tried to be gentle about it, but how could one be gentle when talking about betrayals that cost so many lives? Betrayals that would happen again if Ozpin didn't know what the outcomes had been the first time?

"I – I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wish I had better news to tell you – all of you – but… things were… bad and only seemed to be getting worse the more we tried to stop it. I don't know if… if we made the right… if we made good choices," he amended. "I don't know if knowing any of this – telling all of this will help, but… I want to stop that future from happening again."

More silence from the three adults, and Oscar wilted a little, bracing himself for their reactions. Would it be disbelief? Condemnation? Affirmation that he'd – they'd – taken the best actions? He wasn't sure what would be worse, actually - being praised for saving what lives they had, or being blamed for the lives they couldn't save, the betrayals they couldn't prevent. Despite their best efforts, it hadn't been enough, and that guilt hung heavy on his shoulders. If only he hadn't been captured by the Hound, maybe they could have turned things around, but…

But he was here now, by some miracle, magic, or happy chance. I have another chance, he reminded himself. They know what's coming if nothing changes, so maybe we can change things. Maybe we can stop Lionheart before the Mistral Hunters die, stop Beacon from falling, protect the Relics better…

"I knew he was an asshole."

Qrow's voice broke the silence, and everyone looked at him. The Huntsman was clearly tipsy, his face red with suppressed anger and the flush of the alcohol. He saw he had their attention and waved his flask wildly in the air. "This whole – inner circle thing – I knew it was a bad idea to bring Ironwood in. He's too militaristic, too proud of the 'glory of Atlas'. I swear, next time I see him I'll give him a piece of my mind."

"Qrow," Glynda hissed through clenched teeth.

"No," Qrow said. "You can't stop me this time, Glynda. To think that he'd be willing to take his precious elites and leave everyone else behind…"

"He was afraid," Oscar said. "I could see it when I confronted him. I – it was my fault." He felt their eyes back on him, and he could feel his throat tightening up. He swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. "I couldn't convince him that it was okay to be afraid, as long as we kept moving forward. That's what Ruby had told me was important, but he was beyond listening to anyone. Salem – she… she got inside his head the same way she did Lionheart and twisted him to the point that… Ironwood wasn't on her side, but he wasn't on Remnant's side either at that point."

"Oscar, you can't blame yourself for that," Glynda tried, but Oscar stood up abruptly.

"I, uh… I'll go back downstairs and let you talk about this," he said. He needed to get away for a bit – all the memories were cascading down, and he really hadn't had time to accept what Ironwood had done to him, what he'd been willing to do to Mantle and Remnant, and then there was whatever it was that Oz had done to send him back here… it was too much for Oscar to deal with and he just needed to be away. Tears were beginning to prick at the corners of his cheeks, but he was not going to cry in front of the adults. "If you – if you have any more questions, well…"

He turned and hurried towards the elevator, slipping inside before Glynda or Qrow could stop him. He pressed the button for Ozpin's floor and watched as the door slid closed, seeing the Headmaster slumped in defeat, knowing the sort of mental anguish that the man must be going through himself at the moment now that he knew that two of his closest allies were destined to betray him.

The descent of one floor seemed to take forever, but as soon as the doors slid open, Oscar hurried out, turned in the narrow hallway, and fled to his own room. He closed the door quickly and made sure the door to the bedroom was closed as well, not bothering to turn on a light before he curled up along the side of the room between the nightstand and the wall and hugged his legs to his chest.

What did I do? Did I do the right thing by telling it that way? Did I wreck everything? He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the hot burn of tears, and rocked himself, lightly tapping the back of his head against the wall behind him. He'd done his best to explain everything. He just wasn't sure that his best was good enough. Given how Qrow had reacted to Jinn's story, how would he react to knowing that his sister – his twin – was going to betray him?

And Glynda – he didn't know her at all, but he had enough of Oz's memories of her to know that her competence had been one of the things the old wizard had relied on in his role as Beacon's headmaster, along with her friendship. How would she react to all of this?

And of course Oz… Oz, who had been betrayed so often, was facing it once again. How did the wizard keep going? How did he keep fighting, keep pressing Salem enough to hold her forces at a stalemate, knowing at any moment his allies might turn on him because of her machinations?

"If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do."

Ruby's words from that night in the dojo came back to him. He'd been so scared then, and he'd both admired her for her apparent lack of fear, but he'd been angry at the same time because of it. He hadn't been able to understand her seeming calm over the whole situation, and he'd lashed out. Her words had calmed him, and Oz's reassurance once she'd left had helped too.

Was this any different? He'd done what he could for the moment. There would be more for him to do soon, he had no doubt about that. Was it any different for Oz? Each lifetime was a new opportunity, a new chance to try to change things, to try to do something different. Was that how he kept going, despite the betrayals?

"Hey Oscar? This isn't gonna be easy, but the fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think."

He didn't feel brave. He hadn't felt brave at all – not since any of this began. He didn't know how Ruby or the others could ever have thought he was. He was just… Oscar. Just trying to come to terms with having this… this destiny he had never wanted thrust upon him, and just when he was beginning to accept it, all of this had happened.

And yeah, maybe he had a chance to go back and change things, but maybe nothing he did would change anything at all. But – at least he was trying. Hadn't Ruby said that was the important part?

"So that's what I choose to do. Keep moving forward."

He'd give Oz, Glynda and Qrow some time to digest everything he'd told them, and then he'd go and see how he could help. It wasn't a great plan, but it was a plan.

---

So... this is the most massive chapter to date. Almost 19,000 words, and 32 pages of Microsoft Word to get this one done. Most of my chapters end up between 8,000 and 10,000 words, so this one is roughly twice as long as what you normally get from me. I wrote and rewrote parts of this so many times since my last post to get it just right, so I hope all of you agree, since I know a LOT of people have been asking about when everything will be on the table.

SO, SO many thanks to my beta - TheFullmetalBitch - for reading this one and giving me all the honest feedback I needed to get this posted tonight. I hope all of you enjoy and PLEASE leave a comment. I'd really like to know if this chapter met your expectations.