Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth. I only own The Goddess of Empty/Agatha Griseo

Chapter 6

Knowing the What but Not the Why

Our supplies were scattered all over the snowy field. Train crashes weren't very considerate in fights to minimize damage, after all. After quickly getting myself together, I agreed to help Yang get her motorbike. The fiery blonde wasn't hiding her frustration at the situation.

"This is great. This is just great. We're stranded. We've lost a third of our party. And we've gained a defenseless old lady. " Yang complained. She gave a final tug of her bike. Yang and I's joint efforts were enough to free it. Yang overestimated the power in her last pull, sending her sprawling out onto the snow.

I was able to grab the bike before it fell on Yang. The last thing the Huntress needed was extra bruises for her Aura to heal.

Said defenseless old lady complained at the remark. Maria Calavera insisted that she was just a little hard of hearing and kind of blind with her damaged goggles. Humans were always such fun.

Qrow approached us. "Yang, knock it off." He told his niece. "If we lose our cool here, we'll just be inviting more Grimm."

Blake scoffed. "Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm since we left Haven." When put like that, I can understand how pointless it seemed to keep your emotions in check. Yet, she should consider that we didn't want to make ourselves bigger targets?

"Oh, and how could I forget about that?! What happened to no more lies and half-truths?" Yang accused, glaring at Oscar.

I briefly wondered which soul she was yelling at. Though, I reasoned, I doubted there were many secrets a boy his age could hide. The other soul must be the one that was receiving Yang's ire.

Oscar was helping Maria when he was addressed. "Yeah. I think it's time we got an explanation." He seemed to be addressing the other soul- Oz. That was curious. I had thought if he was in possession of two souls, he could communicate in his mind rather than out loud. He's young, though; he could learn.

His eyes flared in a familiar sort of yellow light-

Light?

No, no, it can't be. My brother wouldn't be so foolish to use that magic on a human.

The boy's body language shifted. His shoulders squared back in a confident way that boys his age didn't have yet. "I did not lie to you." Oz insisted.

Weiss stood by Yang's side. I joined, eyeing them all cautiously. "Well, you certainly didn't tell us everything about the relic."

"Relic?" The word slipped from my mouth. The word held little to no meaning beyond what I knew about the word itself. Something told me this wasn't just a simple sort of relic. This lantern was well maintained, beautiful, and something about it felt so familiar. Magic was pouring out of it. The humans wouldn't notice- Great Tree I barely noticed, weak as I am in my human shape.

The others remembered I was still here. They looked at me with hesitation- like they weren't sure whether or not to trust me with this information. I understood their concerns; to all except Qrow, I was a stranger.

Qrow stepped towards me. He gave a quick glance towards Oscar/Oz. The boy gave him a long stare. Qrow must've seen something in that face, some microexpression between the two of them because he turned to me. There was a history between Qrow and Oz, one of respect. I reckon the kids were the same, hence their anger at whatever truths Oz kept concealed.

"This is one of the four relics the Celestials left behind to help humanity," Qrow explained. "People like us are tasked to keep it safe from dangerous hands."

Wait what?

When did my brothers make these things- I don't remember those ever being a thing. Obviously, they did it after I fell asleep, but why? Why did humanity need help?

Why couldn't they stick around?

Why didn't they wait for me?

Why couldn't they at least give me some kind of sign?

This could be the opportunity I had waited for, a chance to finally learn what happened to my brothers. The thing that caused them to leave, without as much as a note for me or signal. The magic I was feeling was part of them; maybe it could be used to find them. I wanted to see them so badly. Sure I love my human friends and family, but...these were my brothers. They have been with me since the beginning of beginnings. I missed them with every breath, every step in my day, every Grimm I fought as a Huntress, every time I looked up at the broken moon.

Which yeah, I'm still mad about.

This was a chance to learn about my brothers. I wasn't stupid enough to waste it. I turned to Oz- expecting him to give answers. Everyone was demanding them of him. Only a fool would run now.

"I would like to know everything, Oz," I stated. Stepping forward, I stared down hard at the little boy with age beyond age behind his eyes. Qrow stepped behind the trio of girls. Ruby took the now empty space at her sister's side.

"It's true the Grimm are attracted to the relic. It's faint but undeniable." Oz explained. "I believe it has to do with their origin; I'm not entirely sure. Regardless I felt that telling you would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."

Not liking the answer myself, I approached the older soul. "If I may interject. We're Huntsmen and Huntresses. Fighting the Grimm is our job." Quickly I turned to the team RWBY and Qrow. "Would it have changed your minds if you knew beforehand that the Relic could attract them?"

"No," Weiss answered. The group agreed, silently nodding while glaring down at Oz. "And I am seriously getting tired of people deciding what's best for me."

Yang joined in. "Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?"

"Wait, Headmaster Lionheart? What does he have to do with this?" I asked. What did they mean? Wait, did they know something about the attack on Haven? What was Oz lying about in regards to the Headmaster?

Everyone looked at me unsurely except for Yang, who blurted out. "He helped the people who attacked Haven."

No. He...He wouldn't. Would he? I never knew the headmaster well, but I always thought...he was better than this. He wouldn't have helped those people; what kind of coward would do that?!

I was starting to get angry, violently so. If we hadn't just killed off the local Grimm, one would be on us by now.

Ruby came forward, trying to offer a sense of comfort. Seeing the young face of one so earnest, to see silver eyes full of such sympathy to my inner turmoil, it helped.

"This is exactly why I did." Oz was still trying to stick to his lies. I narrowed my eyes on him again. He turned on his heels, arms clasped behind his back. Great Tree above, it looked so pretentious. "I believed the kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed that Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifelong years of service and not the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."

"Missteps?!" Yang cried out. She and all the rest of us were making a slow walk towards Oz. All of us, tense and angry, still keyed up from fighting Grimm, and now that more things were being revealed.

Meanwhile, I was reeling from just the facts to catch up to this madness. These people, these children and the ones from earlier on the train, this boy housing two souls, they were fighting something. Something beneath the surface of what was happening in the world, working in secret. Something that connected back to my Brothers, to these supposed Relics. Apparently, connected to Headmaster Lionheart and Haven's attack- what, were other Headmasters involved too? Like Ironwood of Atlas Academy? Or former Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon-

Oz

Ozpin

Oh Great Tree, I am an idiot.

Everything was unraveling so fast I could barely keep up. Looking towards Maria, I saw she was having just as hard a time catching up. Still, she watched all the drama unfold from a safe distance.

"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently." Oz stated. "But does one lapse in judgment 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."

I think everyone can agree that one bad deed does not make an evil person. Unless, of course, that evil deed led to a school being destroyed by terrorists and putting people in danger. Or maybe that's just my singular opinion as a Goddess.

Also Salem?

Wait...the name rang a bell...where had I heard that name before...? It was from before I fell asleep. I am sure of that...

"We're supposed to be in this together!" Yang reminded him. "You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you-"

"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Oz snapped. He turned around to us, glaring with an enraged look in his eyes that would have been much more terrifying on a grown man.

I reeled back at the vitriol in his voice. The girls and Qrow did as well. Whoever Oz was to them; they were unused to him being angry. We stood behind him in silence. The only sound being the cold breeze brushing my hair back.

"That he didn't say those exact same words to me?!" Oz snapped again. He braced himself, taking a breath. "I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying you'll have any reason to betray me. I'm saying I have a reason for the things I do, the secrets I keep-" He trailed off, eyes darting around the snow behind us. "Where's the relic?"

"Right here." We all turned to see Ruby holding the lamp. "It got scattered in the crash."

"Please. Hand it over." Oz instructed. He held out his hand, like a wise mentor towards their pupil.

Ruby wasn't so convinced. "So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?" Ruby questioned. It was an excellent question to ask, from where I was standing.

Okay, any question was reasonable. All questions were right. I was so lost, and a lot of this was going over my head. The more they talked, the more I knew about what all happened leading up to the attack on the train and about that Relic. Lucky for me that team RWBY and Qrow were in the dar- ahem- also had questions.

Questions that Oz could and should answer. As a goddess, I had no doubts that at my full power, I could find some way of making him tell me. That was just my fear talking, though, about not finding out the truth of my brothers and past. I kept silent. These kids were resilient; they wouldn't let Oz stay quiet anymore.

Oz sighed, looking stricken at the implications of Ruby's question. "That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item, and I simply feel it is my burden to bear."

"But you said it couldn't do anything right now." Ruby reminded him.

"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked, stepping up with Ruby.

Oz seemed to have had enough of Ruby's hesitation. He steeled himself, walking forward. "I need you to listen to me-" He stopped.

A quick check of his inner self showed me the two souls fighting for control. Oscar must be a tough kid to fight off Oz. Surprising, considering how strong Ozpin was back when he was alive- or before he was a spirit- or whatever was going on.

It seemed even Qrow agreed with me.

"Hurry." Oscar pleaded. "He's trying to stop you."

"Stop her from what?" Yang asked.

"He's afraid you'll find out what he's hiding." Oscar struggled through every word, spitting them out through clenched teeth. The fight left him all at once, himself falling to his knees. Everyone got ready for an attack.

I stepped forward and knelt in front of the boy. Though I was not in my true form, I was still a Goddess. Humans are part of my creation. I couldn't let one suffer in this way. "What is it, Oscar? What is Oz hiding?" I asked. If Oscar could tell us, Oz wouldn't keep fighting the poor boy for control. His secret would be exposed. We would all get answers without attacking Oscar. He didn't need to pay for whatever Oz was doing in his head.

Oscar wheezed painfully. He looked over at Ruby, reaching out to her. "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her."

Ruby looked down at the Relic. The blue glow shined upon her pale cheeks and reflected in those silver eyes. She whispered the name, barely heard over the roaring snow.

Yet, just as I noted this, the snow stopped. The downfall was still there, still looking like it would pick up as it was almost nightfall. The snow simply hung in midair like time had frozen.

But that...that couldn't be-

I mean, the Relic came from my brothers. It had the capability to freeze time. It was just insulting. Stopping time was one of my things, those jerks!

The lamp in Ruby's hands then started to glow. It floated above her head. Cyan smoke came out, the lamp twirling as it moved away from us. The smoke grew bigger and bigger, forming a shape. A woman appeared. Her skin and hair were the same glowing blue as the Relic. She wore a golden tiara, bracelets, and golden chains around her waist. Other than that chain, she was nude.

Light, is there something you need to tell me?

The figure-Jinn, I assume- stretched her arms. "Wonderful." She smiled down at us. "I am Jinn. A being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its quest for knowledge."

Okay, magical genie thing helping humans find answers in a magic lamp. I have to say Light, not a bad idea. It didn't make a lot of sense that a genie was what was attracting Grimm. Or why my brother decided to make her look like that. Like, really, what was he thinking?

"I have been granted the ability to answer three questions every hundred years." She informed us. That's a benefit. At least Light didn't make Jinn all-powerful. Humans deserve answers for things, but there can be too much of a good thing. "You're in luck as I still have-"

"That's enough!" Oz shouted. It seemed he was back in control.

None of us paid him any mind, beyond a glare to quiet down.

"-two questions this era." Jinn finished.

Ruby's earlier words came back to me. The lamp couldn't do anything, huh? Oz looked down at the snow, not meeting any of our glares. Could this older spirit even tell the truth? So far, all I heard from him were lies. Really, in better circumstances, I would sympathize with his plight. Right now, though ...it was a struggle.

Jinn said she could help humans on their quest for knowledge. I was human enough, for now. Any being made by my brothers would totally believe I was human, too, so long as I kept up my cover.

"Please. Don't do it!" Oz begged them.

The Huntresses looked none too eager to follow the command.

"Hey-" Qrow tried.

Yang, Blake, and Weiss held their weapons up. I held up mine too. There was information I wanted to know, and nobody was going to stop me. Not even a Hunter that I genuinely respected. All Ruby has to do is ask her question about Oz's secrets, then I can use the remaining question to find out about my brothers.

I mean, come on, what are the odds that Ruby's question answered mine too? I doubt Oz's history or that Salem woman he was talking about or even Professor Lionheart had anything to do with Light and Dark.

Qrow held up his hands. He looked behind us, towards his other niece. "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo."

I looked back at Ruby. The small Huntress looked up at the powerful being.

"Jinn, what is Ozpin hiding from us?"

"NO!" Oz screamed. He leapt out at Ruby.

I was ready to defend her. Before I got the chance, something changed. The frozen snow was gone, as were the others. All I could see was whiteness. Was this a part of Jinn's magic? Was this how they would get their answers?

Was this bright room just Light showing off?

"Hello!" I called out. "Ruby! Qrow! Jinn!"

She must've heard me. I heard her. "Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower."

Cyan smoke came back, creating scenery. Familiar scenery. I remembered that palace, the tall pink towers, and the yellow brick road leading to it. I knew that palace.

I knew that palace.

How? How was it possible that Oz's secret went this far back? That shouldn't be possible.

"That sheltered a lonely girl."

Cyan smoke came back. The palace and road vanished, replaced instead with a young woman. She had pale skin, long blonde hair pulled into a half bun, and an elegant yet simple white dress with purple hints and blue gems on the collar.

"Named Salem."

The poor girl, there was no light in her eyes. They were empty, devoid of human emotions like joy or delight. Something was hurting her.

Jinn explained her story. Her father locked her up her whole life, leading her too long for the outside world. While I was furious that someone would do something like that, Jinn noted something that confirmed my suspicions.

The world Salem lived- the time she lived- was the same one as I left after I destroyed that asteroid. Everyone could wield magic, and humans prospered without the worry of Grimm coming to invade.

Salem's life was like one from a fairy tale. I remembered hearing about the maiden locked in the tower- some humans tried asking me to grant them powers to let them inside. I always refused. I knew what they truly wanted. She was a damsel in distress. Where there's a damsel, there was a Nobel hero ready to save her. I knew the name before Jinn could say it- I remembered hearing rumors about the hero among the Humans.

Ozma

As expected, he helps her escape, and the two fall in love. I must have just missed this. I would've heard about this daring escape otherwise.

But a happily ever after was not in the cards.

Ozma had contracted a terrible illness and passed away. Salem did not take this well.

"How could the Celestials let this happen?" She asked herself, clutching her lover's staff.

"The Celestials." Jinn narrated as three orbs, one yellow, one black, and one gray, swirled around me.

That's us.

My Brothers and I, together like we used to be.

"Two brothers of light and dark, creation and destruction, and their sister of nothingness. Not long before all this, the Goddess of Empty saved humanity from a terrible fate, falling into a deep sleep. Her brothers promised to keep humanity safe in her absence." The orb that represented me flew off and faded away, leaving yellow and black ones to swirl down and join together. "Salem prayed that they would see the injustice that had befallen her love, make things right."

The scene changed to the entrance to Light's domain. Where Salem approached, leaving a bouquet on the steps as an offering. I couldn't stop the tears flowing from my eyes. This poor girl already lost so much. Her one spot of happiness was robbed from her. She looked barely older than when she was freed; no wonder she came to my brothers for aid.

"The Domain of Light was a sacred place. It was here where the elder brother dwelled beside his fountain of life and creation. It was here. That the brother's promise...would be broken."

Wait. What? What did she mean by that? What did they do?!

Before I could overthink that, I saw Salem walk up the stairs. My brother gracefully rose from his pond before my eyes.

I couldn't stop myself from crying. "Light! I can't believe it after all of this time." I ran over to him only to go right through him.

That's right. This is a vision. He wasn't really there. It shouldn't hurt this much. I should've known it was another illusion. That didn't make me feel better.

I continued to watch as Salem knelt before him. She begged Light to restore Ozma to her.

My brother refused. "I understand your pain, but you demand of me that of which I cannot make so. Life and death are part of a delicate balance." He told her.

"So you won't do it then?" Salem realized.

Light tried to explain again, but Salem just screamed, "That's not fair. THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

My heart reached out to her. I wish I were there. I could help her with her pain. Tell her she can keep Ozma alive in her heart and memories, that the two would reunite in the afterlife. In the empty that came after death...Instead, I have to hope that my brother will help her in my stead. That was what I asked of him, after all.

"Let. Him. Rest." He demanded, and with a swirl of golden leaves, Salem and I found ourselves at the entrance to his domain once more.

My palm instantly met my face.

No. No Light, that's not how you do this.

The humans have categorized grief into stages.

You needed to handle this delicately.

Given that she has gone to Light for help, I gather she's in the 'Bargaining' stage.

"No." I heard Salem breathe out. Removing my hand from my face, I saw her eyes narrow and her hands clutching Ozma's staff tighter.

She just slipped into the anger stage.

Good going, brother!

I can only imagine what she's going to do now.

Yet what came next still took me by surprise as I found myself in front of Dark's domain.

"The God of Darkness." I jumped as Jinn continued her narration. "None dared to enter his home as men knew what monsters emerged from his blackened pools of annihilation."

Now that takes me back. I remembered when Dark showed me those pools after we had everything set up. I actually tried sticking my hand in one of these pools to see what it felt like. Absolute pain! That's what it felt like. And in my actual form non the less.

Still, I made sure to visit. He was my brother. Light got a lot of attention. Stars, even I had a small following from the humans. Dark had little to nothing beyond his own creations.

If I weren't so worried about what Salem was about to do, I would applaud her courage for meeting my brother.

Jinn started to speak up again, so I turned back into my surroundings. "And so you must understand the Dark Lord's surprise when he found a lone woman kneeling before him."

Dark crawled out of one of his pools, all twisted. He began crawling across his pond; his neck bent back in what would look horrific on a human.

I rolled my eyes— what a drama god.

Salem did not as much as flinch. She met the eyeless stare of my brother. Salem told him of her tale- saying that only he could answer her prayer. All the while, being careful never to bring up Light.

Is she trying to trick Dark?

Jinn's narration was implying that she was.

What's worse is that he seemed to fall for it. He actually thought he had one over Light and I. He just brought Ozma back to her without consequences. I clenched my fist in anger. Did she really think she could play us for fools?

This human-

This human dared to trick us Gods?

Ohhh, if I wasn't so mad, I would be impressed at the gall.

Thankfully Light showed up at that exact moment. "What have you done?" He asked Dark.

"I have done what I've pleased." Dark taunts. "You may bask in the powers of creation, but you do not own them, and neither does our sister."

Instead of explaining the situation, Light just started to lecture Dark by killing Ozma, which of course, pissed my youngest brother off, who brought Ozma right back, and the two proceeded to argue. Usually, by now, I step in to keep them from breaking the planet apart. Without me, their anger grew and grew until reaching a peak. They shifted into their dragons' forms to go on the attack.

Sweet Leaves of the Tree! Can't these two act like grown-ups for once?

I hadn't even been gone long at this point. Did it really take that long for them to screw up our planet?

Light then finally informed Dark that Salem came to him first, and Dark set things right by killing Ozma once again. Salem was enraged and tried to attack my brothers. Then everything went black.

When Salem woke up, we found ourselves once again at Light's domain. Salem was falling through the sky before falling into the pond.

Wait, what is Light doing? That pond holds eternal life. What's the point of granting something like that to someone like her ?

When she eventually reappeared on the surface, my brothers were with her.

"When you first came to me, I did pity you. But it's clear now that your selfishness and arrogance had led you astray." Light told her.

Selfishness, I agree but arrogance? That was mostly your doing, brother.

Still, she did cause a mess and needed to be punished. She needs to understand the importance of balance.

Curious about how my brothers handled this, I listened closely as Salem asked, "What did you do to me?"

"I have made you immortal." Light answered.

"Immortal?" Both Salem and I asked. How is this supposed to help her?

"You can not die." Dark clarified though he was mocking her in his tone. "You cannot be with your beloved."

They then spoke in unison.

"So long as this world turns, you shall walk its face."

Light then finished. "You must understand the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest."

Salem reached out to them, but in a blink of an eye, she was suddenly placed in an empty field. She screamed and cried out in agony. Jinn explained that her cries for me fell on deaf ears, for I still slept unheeding of her cries.

Ouch

I'm sorry, Salem, but you brought punishment on yourself. If I had been awake, I would have stopped my brothers from doing this to you. I would give you a punishment more suited to your actions, make you understand why it's better to let the dead stay dead.

A reincarnation curse, perhaps. You would always be dying over and over again, never seeing Ozma but also never truly resting in peace. You could die, but it would never stick. Not until you learned to respect the balance.

But that was neither here nor there. What's done has been done. Still, did my brothers make the right choice? Or did they create an even bigger monster?

The vision went on as Jinn continued her narration. Over the centuries, Salem kept herself in isolation. Attempting to kill herself over and over, at first to reunite with Ozma but eventually trying to spite my brothers. I was starting to worry. She was deteriorating. Finally, Salem began to plot a way to bring my brothers down.

Salem traveled from kingdom to kingdom. She challenged worriers to strike her down, demonstrating her immortality that she claimed to have stolen from my brothers. Said that they could have the same powers themselves if they turned against them.

An army marched its way onto Light's domain. He quickly rose from his pool in his dragon form. Dark appeared alongside him.

"The gods have hoped that Salem would learn from her curse." Jinn explained. "And she did. She learned that the hearts of men are easily swayed."

Three leaders of their respective armies stood in front of their people, staring down at my brothers. When Light asked them who had brought them here, Salem took her place in front of everyone. Much to Dark's annoyance as he roars at her.

Salem launches a magical attack at him, and the other humans follow suit. Their powers did nothing as Dark simply caught them all in his claw. The magic was then absorbed into a dark sphere of energy, much to the human's shock.

"My own gift to them...used against me," Dark growled in annoyance. "Our Sister was wrong to trust you." He clutched the sphere in his hand.

My eyes widened in horror. Light just looked away. Why wasn't he doing anything?! He needed to stop!

"Forgive me, Sister," Dark said to himself- for a second, I could believe that he saw me, that he was speaking to me.

I ran up to them. Once again, forgetting this had already happened.

"Dark, please don't!" I cried, but it was no good.

Dark crushed the orb in his hand, and a wave of energy washed over everyone.

"NO!" I screamed. Jinn showed how far-reaching this magic was and showed all of humanity fading to ash. "NO, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

When the light faded, I looked over to find that only Salem, Light, and Dark remained in the domain. All those humans that Salem gathered were gone.

Dark then stomps his foot in front of Salem, knocking the woman back with the resulting gust. "You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?" He warned her.

Salem rose unphased. "I'll come back." She declared. "I'll tell the rest of this world of this massacre. Build a new army-"

"You don't understand." Dark interrupted. "There is no one left. You are all that remains of humanity."

All of my creations. They were gone, gone without even a second's forethought. My own request was barely acknowledged before Dark killed them all.

Why?

WHY?

"This planet was a beautiful experiment." Light commented.

EXPERIMENT?! THESE WERE PRACTICALLY MY CHILDREN, AND YOU JUST DESTROYED THEM ALL!

"But it's merely a remnant of what it once was. We will learn from this failure. Our Sister will in time, whenever she wakes, to see what has become of you. I hope that you can learn from yours." And with that, Light faded into bright dust.

Salem wasn't done with them, though. "You can't leave!" She called out to Light. "Come back!"

"Still demanding things of your creators." Dark tsked in disappointment. He shot up into the sky and into space, shattering the moon on his way out.

Alongside Salem, I fell to my knees and cried out in pain. Salem for her defeat. Me for the loss of all that I knew. That I created. Meteors from the moon crashed all around us.

I was so out of it at this point. Jinn continued explaining the story, and I could barely keep up. Everything I created...everything I worked for...my brothers just ruined it all...I barely paid attention as Salem wandered the world all by her lonesome. She was cursing everything and everyone except herself. Finally, she made her way back to Dark's domain.

In another suicide attempt, she jumped into one of Dark's pools. But instead of taking her life, it only made her worse. It was filling her with rage and destruction.

"And in time, she would find her adversary."

This time I saw Ozma standing in a white void. Much like the one Jinn placed us in at the start of her story. As he walked forward, trying to make sense of this, I heard Light call out to him. Ozma turned around to see Light in his dragon form before shifting into his humanoid form.

"Where am I?" Ozma asked him.

"We are between realms." Light answered. "I'm afraid a tragedy has befallen your home at the hands of my brother."

"DON'T YOU DARE PIN THIS ALL ON DARK, YOU BASTARD! YOU STOOD BY AND LET THIS HAPPEN! YOU BOTH SWORE TO ME THAT YOU WOULD KEEP THE HUMANS SAFE! HOW COULD YOU TWO DO THIS? HOW COULD YOU!" My cries went unanswered. My screams were unheard.

I could only watch and listen as Light offered Ozma a chance to return. Seriously? After all that with Salem, he now decides to break the rules we came up with and bring him back. For what?

At Ozma's confusion, Light explained. "Mankind is no more, yet your world remains. And in time, your kind will walk its face again. My Sister's magic will ensure that. However, without our presence, they will be a fraction of what they once were."

That's right. My failsafe.

When we made our creations we installed our own failsafe within them to make sure they would never truly go extinct. Even by each other's hands. We could truly destroy our creations ourselves. But I couldn't destroy my brothers' completely. And they couldn't destroy mine.

Personally though I think the humans are managing just fine without us.

Though there wasn't a doubt in my mind that Light had an ulterior motive in this. He was planning something with these humans, and with Ozma in particular. How did this tie into Oz's secrets? It must.

Light then conjured four shadowy objects. Seeing them, I recognized the lamp. Light explained the rest as a staff of creation, a sword of destruction, and a crown of choice. The four ideals my brothers granted humanity when we created them.

"If brought together, these Relics will summon my brother and I back to your world. And Humanity will be judged." Light explained.

Okay, one: Did these two figure to just not include me in this? Or did they think I would wake up after this trial and be none the wiser?

Two: Judge Humanity? And what pray tell are their expectations?

"If your kind has learned to live in harmony with one another and set aside their differences, then we shall once again live among you, and humanity will be made whole again. But if your kind is unchanged if you demand our blessings while still fighting among yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable, and your world will be wiped from existence."

IS. HE. SERIOUS?! When I created diversity and he created choice, that kind of had a side effect of humans not always getting along! Light wasn't all too happy about it at first, but Dark and I convinced him to let things be as this made for a nice balance between the world and the three of us. And now he's using this human as a means of making things his way! The nerve of him. And Dark's okay with this? Or does he just want to blow something up?

"Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone."

Oh, yeah, sure, just take this guy's soul and shove it into other bodies to drag them into this mess too. I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take.

To my surprise, though, Ozma refused. All he wanted was to rest forever with Salem...so Light has to admit that not all of humanity is dead. He warns him that Salem is not the woman he once knew, but this doesn't deter Ozma. When hearing his love is alive, there was only one choice.

Somehow I just knew Light had planned this reaction though he looked surprised.

"Very well. Our creation rests within your hands."

"You mean my creation," I mumbled. These two no longer have a hold on them. Not if I have anything to say about it.

"And so Ozma was reborn."

The scenery then cuts to a group of people helplessly fighting against the Grimm. Ozma seemed to have joined with a young farmer man with tan skin and blond hair. When he saw a man about to die, he quickly took over and picked up a fallen sword slaying the beast.

Ozma then went through pretty much what I went through when I woke up. Dust crystals, no magic, Grimm everywhere, the Faunus who were in cages at the time, the moon blew up. All the things I learned when I first came back, Ozma was learning it all too. Now that I think about it, did my brothers create the Faunus just to make things harder for Ozma? It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.

"As Ozma wandered the globe, he heard whispers of a woman known as "The Witch." Believing her to be Salem, Ozma sought her out and was able to find her. Even though the two looked different, they were still able to recognize one another. The two recounted their tales but left individual bits out. Salem blamed the end of the world on the Gods.

Which wasn't entirely untrue, but she did provoke them.

While Ozma didn't say anything about the relics nor the task my younger brother gave him.

Jinn explained that while things seemed perfect for the two, the task set upon Ozma by Light still lingered in the back of his mind. He believed that humanity seemed more divided than ever before. Salem then hit upon the idea that they could take our place, which made me laugh. Long and hard. Since they had magical powers and could transcend death, they could make the world however they liked.

They looked the part. I'll grant them that. I saw them crush a Nevermore like it was nothing, and they floated above the humans who started bowing to them. They amassed a following which started as their kingdom. Salem and Ozma then got busy. Even...you know... busy— at least four times.

I'll admit I couldn't help but gush at seeing their daughters. They were so cute! I just love kids.

Yet, it wasn't meant to last. As Salem glanced at a crystal ball watching humans kill each other, Ozma seemed concerned.

"You said that we needed to bring humanity together." She told him. "In order to do that, we need to spread our word and destroy those who will deny it." No, Salem, that's not how it works. I sighed in disappointment. I thought that bringing Ozma back might just help her, but she is now beyond that point. Ozma seemed to think along the same lines.

"This isn't what he asked of me." He admitted. Salem tried to ask what he meant by that, but the two were interrupted by one of their daughters (the eldest, I believe) showing them magic. Salem looked so proud like any mother would. Ozma still looked worried.

He then admitted to Salem what Light had set him to do. The relics, the day of judgment, everything.

Salem surprisingly took it well. "Don't you see none of that matters? Why spend our lives trying to redeem these humans when we could replace them with what they could never be." Okay, now she's starting to scare me. Salem offered her hand to Ozma, but he backed away in disgust.

Later that night, he tried to sneak his daughters out of the castle, but Salem quickly found them. The two then fought, which brought down the whole castle they lived in. And destroyed their daughters.

A fight, now that I think about it, that has yet to end.

Ozma then spent the next few lives in a state of depression. Drinking, trying to forget everything, but eventually, he would return to the task he had been set out to do. He was even finding a way to live alongside the souls he had been paired with as I saw him setting out a meal for his incarnate's wife and children.

Yet the screams outside showed that everything was still in turmoil as the village he was in fell victim to a Grimm attack. No doubt Salem's doing.

"If humanity was ever to stand a chance at being united, one thing was clear." Jinn started, which I finished to myself.

"Salem had to be stopped."

"Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the relics." Jinn continued. A vision of Ozma tinkering with his cane came up-the same cane Oscar/Ozpin was fighting with earlier. "Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light."

Another incarnation of Ozma retrieved the cane his previous form stored away. In a flash of cyan smoke, Ozma stood with the lamp summoning Jinn. He then asked his three questions.

"Where are the other relics?"

"What powers do they possess?"

"How do I destroy Salem?"

While I didn't hear an answer for the first two, Jinn did show her answer for the last one.

"You can't."

And with that, the vision ended.

"Salem can't be killed...You all heard her too, right?" Yang asked in disbelief.

We all looked at the current Ozma. On his knees and eyes filled with tears. Yang just kept yelling at him (Great Tree! Did this chick have any emotion besides anger?) before Ruby stepped in.

She glared down at the boy, still being controlled by Ozma. "Professor. What is your plan to beat Salem?"

"I don't have one." He finally admitted after a long pause.

"Seriously!" I said. "All these years and-" I didn't finish as Qrow came barrelling over and punched Ozma (and, by extension Oscar) square in the face. The punch sent Oscar/Ozma twenty yards into a tree trunk.

"No one wanted me...I was cursed." Qrow ranted in a scaringly, calm voice. "I gave my life to you because I thought you gave me a place in this world. I thought for once I was doing the right thing."

"But you are!" Ozma tried to insist, but Qrow just ignored him.

"Meeting you was the worst luck of my life."

Everyone froze, wondering what was going to happen next. Ozma was looking at Qrow in disbelief before finally looking at the snow in defeat.

"Maybe you're right." His eyes glowed, and Oscar clenched his cheek from where Qrow punched him.

"What happened?" Ruby asked, approaching him.

"He's gone," Oscar replied in what appeared to be disbelief.

That pissed Yang off. Again. "That bastard! Tell him we're not done yet!"

"No, this is different!" He tried to explain. "He's gone. It's- it's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?" He grips said head in frustration. "I hate this! I want it to stop!"

Everyone was mad and scared. The girls and Qrow all started angrily ranting about the bombshells that were dropped on them. It was a lot to adjust to. I myself didn't know how I felt about it- about what my brothers did to the planet, to the beings I worked so hard to create.

Finally, I shouted. "Alright, that's it!"

With everyone's attention on me, I took a deep breath to calm myself down and continued.

"Look, it's been a long day. We're all tired and angry. And I just found out more than I ever wanted to know in my life." Ain't that the truth. I wanted to know what happened when I left but this? This was too much. "However, it's going to get dark soon, and we're still in the middle of nowhere in the snow. I suggest we find some shelter that hopefully still has some food. We can't afford another Grimm battle so soon- we'll have calmer heads after food and rest." I suggested.

"Finally, someone said it." I looked to find Maria hobbled over to me. I completely forgot about her. "I found a trail over there." She said, pointing the way out with her cane. "Trails usually lead somewhere."

Yang came up to us. "Listen, lady, both of you; I don't know who you think you are, but-"

I stormed in front of Yang, glaring her down. My own anger had yet to simmer from what Dark did, from Light's actions making everything spiral out of control in this mess. Yang almost flinched back at the rage in my eyes. "Fine. Don't listen to us. Have fun staying still here in the cold with a Grimm magnet, starving and only adding to the negativity that brings Grimm to us in the first place!"

Yang growled. She opened her mouth to yell at me some more. I was ready to punch her. Qrow's punch would look like a love tap!

Maria slammed her cane into the ground. The snow muffled the sound, but it was enough to stop mine and Yang's argument. "Quit it, you two!" She ordered. "I understand everyone's upset. Obviously, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But if we don't get a move on, we'll die. And I'll be damned if I lived this long just to die out here in the cold."

I chuckled at that last line. You gotta love old people.

Ruby quietly agreed. At her word, the rest of her team followed suit. We finished grabbing our supplies and whatever else we could carry. Yang had Maria set up on her bike, and I slipped my headphones over my ears.

I definitely need some music after this. That was something humans did right this time. Music was always helpful in sorting out my human emotions.

When everyone was ready, we made our way down the trail that Maria pointed out earlier.

And while the lamp did answer the questions I was going to ask, there was still one floating around my head.

Why?

It kept repeating over and over in my mind. Why did my brothers do this? Why did they make humanity suffer for the actions of one woman? Why bring Ozma of all people back for this task?

I could ask Jinn. She still had one question. Suppose she knew the answer anyway. Yet, even if I ever found out why, there's still the matter of fixing all this- removing Salem's immortality, freeing Ozma from his deal. This whole war between these two that wound up affecting the entire world. This was something I could not do on my own. Even if I could make Salem mortal again (and that's a very big IF, no telling if Light made sure there was no other way to break her curse), there was still the matter with Ozma and the large number of Grimm.

What had Light even done to Ozma? The magic required for this...it sounded so intricate, and dare I say it insane. Until I figured out how it was done, there was no way to reverse it. I couldn't remove him from Oscar right now without causing harm to the boy and his Aura. Also, while I could remove the Grimm from the surface, only Dark can remove the pools from which they spawned. So long as those pools remain then, the Grimm will just keep coming back.

I had to bring them back, but who knows where those two took off after wiping out humanity. It could take ages to find them. And that's if they don't try to avoid me once they learn I'm looking for them. Plus, I don't want to leave the humans alone to deal with Salem. Not when there could be something I could do to help. Even if it is small. Besides...I noticed the lamp attached to Ruby's hip.

Why look for them when I can make them come to me?

These humans know where the relics are and how to access them. I can stick with them. Help them with Salem while I try to collect the relics to summon my brothers back. Then, once I give them a huge piece of my mind, we can make things right again. Light's bargain did include that we would help humans again. And if he tried going back on it, I would correct him and Dark in a better way.

With my new plan in mind, I continue to walk with them in slightly higher spirits.