"Jinn?" Glynda asked, stepping forward to stand beside Salem. "As in… you?"

The spirit looming over the illusion declined to answer as the one within the crystal became gradually more visible behind the barrier.

"Jinn?" Salem echoed. "What are you? A prisoner? An advisor? Both?"

"Answering would be unwise," the trapped spirit said solemnly. "He could come running at any second, especially after your provocation."

"He?" Astrid asked as she moved to stand within Glynda, prompting the headmistress to take a step to the side and shiver. "The God of Light, you mean?"

"We do," Ambrosius chimed in. He, too, was a blue figure wrapped in golden chains, though most of his were cinched together in a diamond-shaped harness upon the center of his chest. Ambrosius had light blue hair to contrast Jinn's darker tones, and light, swirling runes were etched into his skin around his limbs. The man floated about within the crystal, facing Salem upside-down as he addressed her. "Neither of us are particularly enamored with his so-called holiness, but we are also not inclined to speak ill of him when he may be watching. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"That information isn't for you, until I know more," Salem answered as she laid one of her hands upon the surface of the crystal. "Daughters. Keep watch."

Astrid turned and moved closer to the center of the dais, beckoning her sisters to follow as she did so. Salem merely closed her eyes and focused upon breathing as myriad colors manifested around her fingertips, reflecting within the surface of the crystal.

"Does he leave often?" Salem asked, her voice low as she focused upon her spell. "Or is this an unusual event?"

"Most unusual," Jinn answered, earning a nod from her brother. "At least… until recently. He often spends his days utilizing us for his benefit. This is a welcome reprieve, though we expect that it will be short-lived. I cannot feel his presence anywhere nearby, but he's been gone a while…"

"So whatever you're doing, you should probably hurry it up," Ambrosius suggested as he cast his eyes skyward. "Don't try to free us, though, if that's what you're doing. This crystal is necessary for our powers to continue working. Without it, we've got nothing."

"Powers?" Salem probed, the lights around her fingers intensifying. "Tell me more…"

"To what end?" Jinn asked. "Why should we trust you over him?"

"Mother!" Astrid called as she pointed her free hand up to the sky. "Incoming!"

A stream of color flew from Salem's hand and buried itself within the surface of the crystal as both she and the travelers out of time turned their attention skyward. A brilliant, golden gleam could be seen cresting the far semicircle of mountains. The trail was so bright as to almost be blinding, and Sun shielded his eyes along with several others as the temperature around them increased exponentially. Without anything resembling a warning, the bolt of light slammed down into the center of the dais before Salem's daughters, prompting the witch to walk away from the crystal and toward the new arrival.

The God of Light manifested itself as a golden dragon, its body long enough that its tail extended and hung off the edge of the platform. Its eyes were a burning, pupilless white and the beast had a beard, frills, and deerlike antlers that gave it an almost distinguished air. Even on all fours, it towered over the intruders to its realm and took a moment to crane its neck, looking around the platform and taking in the scene around it. Upon catching sight of the coffin almost directly beneath its face, the creature began to speak while fixating upon Ozma's body.

"…Salem," it began in a booming voice that shook the leaves of the trees on the mountaintop. Sun could feel the reverberations within his very bones as he stared at the creature in awe, mouth agape. "You enter my realm unbidden to show me a corpse. What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"A corpse?" Salem spat as she approached the god. "That is my husband- another of your loyal subjects that has served you since before our marriage… or have you forgotten all that we have done in your name? Do you not even recognize your own dedicated warriors?"

"You have brought me many victories, yes," the God of Light acknowledged as plumes of golden dust radiated out from its nostrils to dissipate into the surrounding air. "Served me well in battle and fought unquestioningly in my name. Even so, your kind number in the millions. I do not know you all on sight."

"You should know us," Salem reminded, her eyes narrowed as she stared down the much larger creature. "In return for the victories we have brought you, our kingdom was supposed to benefit from your blessing. That is why I am here. I demand an explanation for this sudden betrayal, and a resolution. Where was your vaunted protection on his latest outing? Where were you when I came calling? What could possibly be more important than upholding your pact with me when my husband's life was on the line!?"

Sun watched as Ambrosius righted himself within the crystal and edged closer to the surface. Jinn, too, seemed to be paying close attention both in her smaller and titanic forms, as though she was personally searching for some sort of knowledge that even she did not possess.

"That is none of your concern," the God of Light answer, its expression unchanging as it returned its attention to Ozma.

"None of our concern!?" the blonde, muscle-bound Maiden yelled, stepping forward and clenching her fists. "You would disregard us so easily after our years of service?"

"Celes," Salem said, her tone full of warning as she held out an arm to her side. She, too, was seething with rage, but managed to keep it contained much more successfully than her daughter. "I will handle this. I will handle him."

"Will you?" the God of Light asked, more curiously than with any maliciousness. "Salem. My devoted follower, there is something you must understand. There is more that requires my attention than the life of any one follower, no matter how devoted. My blessing brought you victory many times, yes… but it did not guarantee it. I merely aided you- much of Ozma's success in combat was his own, and his choices, as well as yours, carry consequences. With victory comes defeat, and an eventual end such as this was bound to happen. It is part of the natural cycle. Life begets death, and I promised you no such protection against it."

"But it's within your power," Salem accused, advancing on the god. "You can fix this. You claim yourself to be a god, the rules of nature are but mere playthings…"

"The rules of nature are rules for a reason," the God of Light warned as it coiled its tail to form a barrier around Ozma's coffin to prevent Salem from reaching it. "Your loss is not reason enough to break them. You must learn to accept the course of events already in motion…"

"I will do no such thing," Salem asserted. "If not through you, I will find another way! Someone else willing to hear me and fix this mess. Someone unafraid of reversing the finality of death."

For the first time since the dialogue began, the God of Light reared back to stand upon its hind legs, raising its chest and head to look down on its subjects with disdain.

"First you come making demands, which I am magnanimous enough to forgive, and now you begin making threats to appeal to my brother?"

Salem sucked in a breath, standing her ground and squaring her shoulders.

"I am making promises based on your inaction. If your blessing means this little in my darkest hour… then I will seek another. I am not afraid of you, God of Light… and my loyalty does not come freely."

The massive dragon lowered its upper body once again, getting down onto all fours as it leveled its face mere inches from Salem's.

"And do you believe that I am afraid of you, or that my magic is freely at your disposal? If you try to speak to him… I will know. Begone from my realm. I will not suffer your insolence any longer."

In a brilliant flash, the beast disappeared and all those in its presence were left temporarily blinded. Salem reached up to shield her eyes, blinking away the dots in her vision as she tried to get her bearings. As her vision returned to her, she saw that Ozma's coffin was gone. Her chest began to heave, and then the witch let out an anguished scream as wisps of flickering magic coalesced in her hands.

"Salem was denied Ozma's resurrection," Jinn explained as the enraged woman, her entourage, and the mountaintop turned to ash and flitted away to unmask the white void once again. "Her allegiance to the God of Light severed and the deity warned that she might consult his brother, she was left with few options. In her cleverness, though, she had seized a golden opportunity- the spell she had cast in her patron's absence."

"Her reaction was… pretty extreme, wasn't it?" Neptune asked sheepishly. "I mean… I get it, but also… standing up to a god? Couldn't he have just disintegrated her on the spot for daring to question him?"

"…have you ever lost anyone close to you?" Amaya asked, her tone icy as she kept a wing around the younger male. "A sibling, or parent, or lover?"

Neptune looked off to the side as he realized that almost everyone in the group was looking at him… and he knew how each of them would answer the question.

"I… not really, no…"

"Then you don't get it," Amaya said as she watched another scene fade in. "May that naïveté last as long as possible…"

The setting was one far removed from everything else the group had seen, and far more cramped. Several of the party ended up standing within shelves stocked with spherical glass containers filled with unfamiliar alchemical ingredients or inside of cauldrons, crystals, and free-standing skeletons. The dimly-lit alchemical lab was buzzing with noise and powerful aromas, adding to the dark, dingy feel provided by the oddly-stained black stone walls. Only two figures native to the scene were present, and Sun led his people closer to them as they manifested up against one of the far walls.

Salem was standing over a desk that had been cleared of all alchemical implements, her arms spread wide to either side as one of her daughters stood next to her. The diminutive girl was mirroring her mother's gestures as they both focused in on what looked like a small collection of magical sparkles roiling above the surface of the desk. As Salem spoke, the spell intensified, and a rift began to open inch by inch.

"Focus, Lora," Salem commanded, her eyes closed as she worked to channel the spell. "You're doing well…"

"Am I?" the Maiden asked, daring to open one eye and look at the rift. "It's opening!"

"Calm yourself," Salem commanded. "Your channeling must remain consistent. Stable. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Another minute or so, and we should have it…"

"I think I understand the spell…" Raven said suddenly. "This… Lora's magic is now a part of me. They're channeling some kind of opening, but not for travel. I can't explain what I'm feeling…"

"Can you learn it?" Qrow asked immediately. "If you study what they're doing, do you think you could maybe…?"

"Maybe," Raven considered as the rift widened. "Then again, Lora can't do it on her on, and we have yet to see exactly what it is…"

As if on cue, the rift above the desk finally opened in full, creating a window to another place surrounded by a portal of swirling deep blue. The space on the other side seemed oddly tinted in a lighter blue color and as though it was a wall… but Ilia recognized it immediately.

"That's the crystal," the faunus announced to the group. "In the God of Light's realm, that huge obelisk. The patterns within it, the color, the texture… Salem put some kind of proximity spell on it when we were upon the dais."

Confirming her suspicions, the face of Jinn approached the dimensional rift from within the apparent wall. Her face held an expression of extreme curiosity and surprise, though she did a quick check above and around herself before speaking.

"The God of Light left us moments ago, so your chances of being found out through something like this are slim. You have mastery over quite impressive magic, Salem…"

"You have no idea," the witch said confidently as she finally lowered her arms and folded them across her chest. "If we are free to speak, then I have several questions for you… and in exchange for answers, I will grant you freedom, and the opportunity to retain your powers…"

Author's Note:

And then she didn't. Hooray!

-RD