Uncovered.
Back before they left for Atlas, the teams along with Qrow were packing after finding out where they should go next.
"We need to take the Relic to Atlas?" Ruby asked.
"That's what Oz said" Qrow answered.
Weiss looks up in disbelief "You've got to be joking...".
"I mean, bright side, we finally get out of this house!" Nora said while laying on the floor.
Weiss sighs, and Bernadetta looked down "And after everything we went through to leave Atlas... Can't we go anywhere else?".
"Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. And without the Spring Maiden here to seal the Relic back in its Vault, it's our best option" Qrow said and Yang became silent at the mention of her mother.
"Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but their borders are closed. General Ironwood called everyone back" Ren reminded.
"Eh, not everyone" Qrow said as he activates his Scroll, showing a hologram of a highlighted portion of land "The city of Argus is a ways north of us and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside the kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned, and if we play our cards right, I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood".
"You sure think of everything, don't you?" Severa asked with a cool smile.
Qrow smirked at her "It's what kept me alive, kiddo".
"All well and good. But are you sure they'll let us in to Atlas?" Lucina asked
Blake slides over to Weiss "I mean, we do have the missing Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company".
"Ex-Heiress, actually" Weiss corrected.
"True, true. But if there's a chance of reward money, I say we go for it" Yang said, earning an annoyed sound from Weiss.
"Come now Weiss. You know we won't sell you" Lyre said as she gave Weiss shoulders a gentle rub, earning a blush from Weiss.
"Hopefully the first option will suffice" Oscar, letting Ozpin take over, walks into the room.
"Glad to see you're feeling better" Qrow said.
Ozpin nods "Likewise, and while I'm sure we could all use more time to recover, I'm afraid time is of the essence".
"Right, as long as that thing's out in the open, its power could fall into the wrong hands" Blake said.
Jaune was sharpening his sword before he spoke "Speaking of, what does it do exactly? Qrow never really told us".
"Yeah, I pretty curious myself" Lucina said.
Everyone looks to Ozpin, who turns around to face them.
"Of course" He detaches the Relic from his hip "The Relic of Knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous ability. Its user can ask any question, and the Lamp will provide an answer".
Ozpin places the Relic down, and it floats on the table.
Ren was in awe "Intriguing...".
"That's incredible..." Blake said.
"Indeed. However, it's not without drawbacks. The Lamp cannot tell of events that have yet to happen, and it will only ever answer three questions every one hundred years" Ozpin explained.
"Well, I guess that's not so bad. Adds a lot of pressure though" Yang said.
"Then let's put it to a vote!" Nora zips around the room, causing Ruby to jump and Qrow to spit out his coffee "What should we ask first? Oh! Can we ask for more questions? CAN WE ASK FOR MORE QUESTIONS?!".
Ren facepalms at his partner's antics "They're not wishes...".
Ozpin chuckles as Nora pouts at Ren "I'm afraid you won't be able to ask it anything at the moment. The questions were used before I sealed it away".
"That's to bad, there is a lot I would've liked to know... Mainly the true history of my family line" Lucina said.
"Trust me, Lucina. You know everything you need" Ozpin said. Lucina glanced at him, for some reason she could've sworn she detected something in his voice... Like he knew something she didn't.
"Well, at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe!" Ruby said.
Back in the present day, Ruby scours through the train wreckage and picks up Dust bullets, before looking to see the Relic of Knowledge slightly buried in the snow nearby. Yang can be heard complaining as she struggles to get Bumblebee out of the snow.
"Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, and we've gained a defenseless old lady!" With one final heave, Yang manages to extricate Bumblebee, but falls over to the ground, with her motorcycle following suit as she's partially covered in snow.
"My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair" The old woman said as she taps on her prosthetics, which open wide and close, before opening narrowly again "Okay, I'm starting to see your point".
Qrow grunts "Yang, knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm".
"Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven" Blake reminded.
"Oh, and how could I forget about that?" Yang asked before she turns to Oscar "What happened to no more lies and half truths?".
Oscar, who had been helping Maria, turns around "Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation..."
Oscar's eyes glow as control of his body is switched to Ozpin, who furrows his brow at Yang's accusations "I did not lie to you...".
"Well you certainly didn't tell us everything about the Relic" Weiss said.
"Please, now is not the time" Ozpin said.
Yang was having non of it "No, we're past that! I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!".
"She's right. The Relic attracts Grimm? How could you not mention something as important as that?" Lucina demanded.
Ozpin sighs, knowing there was no way out of this "It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option".
Weiss crosses her arms with a very annoyed expression "You know, I'm getting real tired of people choosing what's best for me".
"Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?" Yang asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth" Ozpin said as he turned around and began walking, with the others following him "And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years.
"Missteps?!" Yang asked in disbelief.
"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him" Ozpin said, his voice almost sounding hostile... He was losing patience, that much was becoming clear.
"Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you" Yang said.
"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin asked, finally raising his voice as he had officially reached his wits end, making everyone stops "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I... Where's the Relic?".
"Right here" Ruby holds it in her hands "It got scattered in the crash".
"Please, hand it over" Ozpin reaches his hand out, but Ruby hesitates.
"So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?" Ruby asked.
Ozpin sighs "That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear".
"But, you said it couldn't do anything right now" Ruby reminded.
"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked.
"Unless there is another thing you decided we didn't need to know" Severa asked in a suspicious tone.
"I need you to listen to me-" Ozpin reaches his hand out, but suddenly is stopped, stuck in his position.
"Oz?" Qrow spoke in confusion.
Oscar was fighting back for control "Hurry... he's... trying to stop you!".
"Stop her from what?" Yang asked.
"He's afraid... you'll find out what he's... hiding!" Oscar suddenly collapses, the girls minus Ruby glare at the boy with intense looks while Ruby holds the Relic of Knowledge defensively "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her".
"Her name?" Ruby asked. The wind picks up much more gradually, blowing snow even harder. The Relic starts to glow in Ruby's hands "Jinn?".
Suddenly, the snow stops, floating in midair. The wind stops blowing too.
Qrow looked shocked "What?".
Ruby then lets go of the Relic as it floats a short distance away, cyan smoke emanates from it. Suddenly, the lamp is enveloped in the smoke, and from it, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerges. Her skin and hair is colored blue, and decorated with gold jewelry and ornaments. The figure stretches and moans as she has been awakened once again. This is Jinn, the aforementioned being inhabiting the Relic of Knowledge.
"Wonderful" She said.
Everyone stares in awe at Jinn. Had it not been for the tense situation, her physicue might've earned some nosebleeds.
"Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?" Jinn asked.
Maria adjusts her goggles to get a better look at what's in front of her.
"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid Humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-" Jinn began.
"That's enough!" Everyone looks to Ozpin, who managed to regain control over Oscar's body.
"Two questions this era" Jinn finished.
Everyone is shocked, despite Ozpin telling them that the Relic won't work for them beforehand... He lied to them. Lied right in their faces.
Jinn chuckles "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man".
"Ruby, please... Don't" Ozpin begged.
Qrow glances to Ozpin, and steps forward "Hey.
Suddenly, Lucina, Severa, Yang, Weiss, and Blake get defensive at Qrow. Ruby stares in disbelief.
"Sorry dad... we are done being left in the dark. We are getting the answers we deserve, right now" Severa declared.
Qrow sighed while relenting "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo".
"Jinn?" Ruby turns around to face Jinn, who has a curious look on her face, while Ozpin grits his teeth in anger "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"
"NOOOOOOO!" Ozpin screams.
Ruby gasps and looks behind her. Ozpin lunges towards her. Reacting on instinct, Lucina pulls her sword, ready to defend the girl she loves. But suddenly, Ruby finds herself alone in a blank white space.
"Wha- what? Weiss? Yang? Lucina?" She called out.
Yang was also trapped in the white space "Blake? Bernie? Ruby?".
Weiss then appears, also calling out for their team leader "Ruby? Ruby?".
Blake then appears "Yang? Severa?".
Severa then appears "Lucina? Blake? Yang? Ruby!?".
Lucina then appears "Severa? Ruby? Is anyone out there!?".
Suddenly, an environment manifests, showing a path leading to a castle in the distance. A woman humming can be heard in the background.
"Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower... that sheltered a lonely girl" Jinn began telling the history as a rather beautiful woman sitting in front of a mirror then appears.
Lucina looked at her, she looked frighteningly familiar.
"Named... Salem".
.
Tell me what you think.
