power

/ˈpaʊə/

noun

1. the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way.

"the power ofspeech"

2. the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events.

"a political process that offers people power over their own lives"

Silence permeated the air as the four teenagers started at Oscar and Qrow, the later of the two who Ruby had forced to fix his drunken state so that they could actually talk to him.

"So, you all have questions I assume?" Qrow began, directing his question to the group.

the four shared an awkward look between themselves before nodding, "yeah, I guess you could say that" Jaune said.

"Well, I'm not sure if I'll be able to answer all of your questions, but I'll do my best." Oscar replied, offering the group a hopefully reassuring smile.

Oscar wasn't entirely sure what to expect from them, probably questions about his relationship with Ozpin and what he meant when he referred to himself as 'The next protector of life' but aside from that, he didn't know what they'd ask.

He hoped he would be able to come up with plausible explanations regardless.

"I'm curious about what you meant when you said you'd never notice my eyes before… it's a strange thing to say to someone you've never met." Ruby asked, her tone curious with a tinge of paranoia.

[Good, she picked up it.] He said to Oz, before offering Ruby a shy smile. "My Semblance is called 'Forewarned Flash' it let's me see segments and fragments of events before or sometimes even as they are happening… I've seen you in a few of them, I didn't know who you were until I got here and saw you- that's why I was so shocked."

"I've been having visions of you for months now, but not understood why… usually I have to know a person to see them clearly in one of my visions… but your different for some reason."

"What kind of visions?"

Oscar was prepared for this, he'd sifted through some of Ozpin's memories of Ruby at Beacon and picked out a few he could claim as visions. "I saw you fighting a giant Nevermore in an abandoned temple… I saw you again with a group of girls, you were fighting some guy in a mech."

It was time to truly hit home, to say something that Ozpin could never have told him about, a 'vision' that couldn't be passed over as something he was told by someone else, with a deep breath and a pained look he continued, "The most recent one though, was the night of the Fall of Beacon… you were running up a tower wall, there was a fight going on at the top you seemed so afraid."

"I didn't see how it ended though, I lost the vision part way through when the powers I inherited from Uncle Ozpin suddenly hit me and I fainted."

The quiet returned with his retelling of the moment leading up to the death of Pyrrha Nikos.

"I want to know about this 'power' you got from Professor Ozpin, that's the second time you've mentioned it. What is it exactly?" Jaune asked.

"Ah, that. Well… it's hard to explain, I don't exactly know the whole story- hell I don't think Oz knew the whole story…. You see, our family was cursed a very long time ago. When one of us dies, the curse is transferred." He spoke, this part of the story was simple; his only lie was of the transfer of power from one person to the next.

Ruby moved to place her hand over his, "take your time, and tell your story as best you can, this must be just as hard and confusing for you as it is for the rest of us"

Nodding, Oscar took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again and beginning his tale. "The way the story goes is that once upon a time there was a man named Ozma, he was a brave and powerful knight that wielded great powers. And he fell in love with a fair princess, whom he saved from a tower."

"They were extremely happy and lived a wonderful life together, until Ozma grew ill… he passed away, leaving the princess- Salem- all alone…"

"After his death, she could not let go of her grief and she demanded and attempted to trick the gods into bringing him back. When that failed and they had found out what she had tried to do, they cursed her with immortality. She could not die, so she would never be reunited with her beloved… not until she learned some great and important lesson."

At this point, Oscar had to stop, the emotions that he felt for Salem when he was still Ozma began to flood him as he recalled the cruel justice done to her.

Thankfully, Ozpin was there to help lessen their pain. {A burden shared is a burden made easier to carry} he said, metaphorically placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

[Thank you…] with that, he continued. "After that, Salem used her new immortality to bring together humanity and rally them against the gods, believing that if she couldn't make them bend to her will, then she would destroy everything they had created."

"And in a way, she did. As punishment for her actions and the disrespect the humans had shown their creators, they destroyed everything and wiped out all of humanity, leaving Salem as the only living being on Remnant."

"But, for whatever reason, the God of Light ended up bringing Ozma back, giving him new life and giving him and his descendants a job. To unite humanity and bring unity to the world."

"What happened after that changes constantly, some say that Ozma agreed, only to rejet the gods wishes and reunite with Salem to become gods themselves, others say that he tried to help her regain the humanity she lost to time and her solitude..."

stopping once again, Oscar looked each member of Team RNJR in the eye, "but, there is one thing that all the stories passed down through our family say: that if we wish to end our curse and be released from this nearly impossible task, Salem must be stopped. So long as she exists, bringing madness and chaos and death… We will continue towards humanity's eventual second destruction"