Sun Wukong awoke to a strange sight- or rather, he didn't. Every other time he arose from sleep, the boy had felt a familiar, groggy feeling as his brain slowly turned itself back on and his muscles began to stir. Waking up was a very distinct, sometimes pleasant and other times horrible feeling, though it tended to be positive whenever he woke up next to Blake. Unfortunately, Blake was gone. He was gone.

Everything was gone, replaced by only a field of bright white- bright enough to be blinding, and yet, the sight didn't hurt his eyes. Sun had no recollection of waking up, arriving at the mysterious void, or anything at all after going to bed. In fact, given the total lack of sensation when he tried to take a nervous breath, Sun was fairly certain that he had died in his sleep.

But if he was dead, why did he feel as though he was being watched?

Sun whirled in place, looking all around himself and finding nothing. He rose his arms up to shoulder level and looked down, finding himself wearing an open white shirt, red gauntlets over black bracers, and his usual cargo shorts. It was a look he hadn't sported in quite some time- not since arriving in Kuo Kuana in pursuit of Blake after Beacon Academy had fallen. It made no sense- nothing about the situation made sense. Even knowing that he couldn't breathe there in the void, Sun tried to call out and was surprised that he did, in fact, manage to produce a noise.

"Hello…?"

The moment the word left his lips, Sun knew what was going on, and who was there with him. It wasn't a guess- it wasn't a sudden revelation or deduction based on context- he knew, the same way that he knew basic addition, the value of different lien coins, and the capital of Vacuo. There was another presence in the space that manifested before him, but it was him. A part of him.

A part that he desperately wanted to get rid of.

Professor Ozpin simply appeared a few feet away from Sun, but the faunus hadn't blinked or summoned him- it felt like he had always been there. The man of oddly indeterminate age stood exactly as Sun remembered him- the green coat, black spectacles, grey hair, and his hands settled atop the cane held before him. Sun felt as though his heart should have been racing at the sight of the dead man who had created so many obstructions for him… yet he couldn't feel his body. He couldn't feel anything but emotion- furious, passionate emotion- and oddly enough, Professor Ozpin seemed to react to it as well by tilting his head downward and letting out a sigh.

"…Sun, I understand how you feel, but I w-"

"Why?" Sun asked immediately, more spitting the word than speaking it. He let out a furious growl before raising his volume and taking a step toward the man. "Why me? Why now? You've done nothing but get in our way, sit on the sidelines, criticize, and doubt. Now, you think you're taking me over like you tried to take over Oscar!?"

"I did not take over Oscar, we simply m-" the man began, only for Sun to yell louder as he continued to advance.

"That poor kid and Ruby are dead! How much involvement did you have in that? How much did you push them both while you were out in Sanus!? What did you tell Ruby that made her lose her way so badly!? Answer me!"

Professor Ozpin did not, in fact, answer him- instead, he lifted a hand and pushed his glasses slightly farther up his nose before letting out a soft sigh.

"…it was not my intent for Ruby to pursue her sister. As for Oscar… you are mistaken as to how all this works, and you would do well to listen."

"Then start talking," Sun ordered, standing within arm's length of the former professor and putting on a scowl. "Make sense, and tell me what I want to know."

"Oscar 'died' back in Sanus- erased by the unfortunate reality of my existence," Professor Ozpin began, maintaining a gentle grip on the head of his cane. "You actually only met him once, in Mistral, and I did not choose to inhabit his mind any more than I did the one attached to the body you've chosen to see before you now. Where I go and when is entirely random, chosen by a higher power from a pool of those who left an impression upon me in whatever previous body I occupied. It is much like the process of inheriting Maidenhood when a dying bearer has no one compatible in their final thoughts. Ending up with you is as unlikely as it is fascinating… though you needn't worry yet. I'm sure your mind and body will prove far more resilient than Oscar's… in time."

Sun could feel himself go pale as he stared on in total shock.

"You just… erased him?" the faunus asked, his voice finally dying down to something closer to conversational. "All that time you were away, talking to Ruby, Sage, Nora, and Ren… did they know? Did you tell them that it was always you…?"

"…that would have broken Ruby," Professor Ozpin said solemnly. "It would have broken her faster than the circumstances of this war eventually did. I had to pretend for the sake of everyone. Surely you can understand that?"

Sun tried to take in a deep breath, coming up with nothing once again… only to realize that the other man was capable of such things as sighing, breathing, and assumedly, feeling in the unnatural space. The revelation made him shiver in reflex, though the usual feeling of pins and needles was strangely absent. It was unlike anything Sun had ever experienced before… or not experienced.

"…no. No, I can't," Sun asserted as he clenched his fists. "I can't accept that just lying to someone vulnerable is necessary in order to protect them. That's cold, calculated, and pragmatic, but it isn't human. You don't act like you're a living part of Remnant. You never seem to put value on the same things we do, yet you think you know the best way forward without bothering to reveal what you know to us. You're just as much of an antagonistic force as Salem at this point… and I'm not going to stand for it."

"You are not wrong," Professor Ozpin agreed, causing Sun to take a step back in his confusion. "I hardly feel connected to Remnant at all… and if you would allow me to finish, you will find that I am trying to protect and value you, Sun, so that you might continue to fight for those things that you and your friends hold dear."

"What?" Sun asked, putting a hand up to his forehead to rub at it in frustration, though the gesture was purely symbolic. "How? How is any of this helping me? Why are you holding me hostage in this… this whatever space?"

"Your own mind?" Professor Ozpin asked. "I am doing nothing of the sort. You and I have finally begun to connect on a mental level, and I must say, making it through your protective aura was… difficult. You held me off for far longer than most."

"So, what, I can just shut this all down right now?" Sun asked as he lowered his hand. "Kick you out of my thoughts until you start forcing this kind of thing later on?"

"You could," Professor Ozpin confirmed with a slight nod. "But you won't. Your curiosity won't allow you to, will it? You have questions."

"You don't know me," Sun said, bristling.

"No, but knowing you is inevitable, and I have at least a surface knowledge of how you tend to operate," Professor Ozpin reminded. "As for your question in terms of how this is helping you… Oscar Pine was insistent with questions. Hungry for knowledge, and understandably so. He could feel himself slipping and made demands of me so that he could understand what was going on. I… foolishly chose to indulge him. I told him everything, and it destroyed him from the inside. It was ultimately my fault, a-"

"Stop," Sun ordered, his tail flicking angrily to one side. "Just… stop. You're telling me that finding out the truth, what we've all been asking you for ages now, was enough to just… it broke Oscar? Weakened him mentally to the point you just merged and forced him out, because you told him everything?"

"That is indeed what happened, yes," Professor Ozpin confirmed. "I knew that filling him in would be dangerous, but I had hoped that it would perhaps embolden him and strengthen his resolve."

Sun took a long, deep inhale… and felt his lungs fill with air. The sensation sent a chill down his spine, though he clenched his jaw to prevent himself from showing his surprise. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and glared hard at the other man.

"…you expect me to believe that?" Sun asked, his tail whipping over to the opposite side. "That the solution here is to just accept that you're here and to never question you, so I don't speed up my own demise? Do you seriously think I'm that naïve?"

"Sun, I know how this all sounds," Professor Ozpin said calmly. "I understand your feelings, and I can see why y-"

"You understand nothing!" Sun accused, throwing his arms out to the sides. "You've 'seen how I operate', have you? Then you should know that I'm not about to just let y-"

"You are treading on dangerously thin ice," Professor Ozpin interrupted, the sheer venom in his voice giving Sun pause. "And you would do well to listen to what I am going to tell you, rather than demand what knowledge you so arrogantly believe you are owed."

Sun clenched his fists down at his sides and made a noise of frustration, refusing to blink as he kept his eyes locked on Professor Ozpin's. The feeling of his nails digging into his palms anchored him, and he squeezed harder to try to focus himself more within the strange space.

"Who is Salem?" the faunus asked. "How are the two of you related, and where did she come from?"

"No," Professor Ozpin denied. "Not yet. There are things you must know first, experiences we must share in order for you t-"

"How did you know Oscar?" Sun continued. "How was he important to you in your life as 'Professor Ozpin,' if this is how the whole possession thing works?"

"He was a relative to this former body- a nephew," Professor Ozpin answered, his voice calm once again. "He was an insightful young boy, and one with wisdom beyond his years despite his simple upbringing. Perhaps that was enough to catch the attention of my benefactor."

"And who is that?" Sun asked.

Professor Ozpin remained silent, adjusting his grip on the cane.

"…fine. Then what's the importance of the Relics?" Sun tried. "What happens if Salem gets them? What do we do with them?"

"I can answer some of that," Professor Ozpin said with a gentle nod. "If Salem obtains the Relics… it will mean the end of Remnant. She is the only one capable of utilizing them together and surviving the process. What comes after… would destroy us all."

"And what is that?" Sun continued to press. "You can't just say that and then leave me hanging!"

"I must," Professor Ozpin lamented. "The 'truth', as you would call it, isn't something mortal minds should hear… nor are they capable of truly comprehending it."

"Cut the holier-than-thou bullshit and tell me!" Sun seethed as he turned away. "Everyone's looking to me as their leader now, and I need to know how and where to lead them! I can't do that if I have no idea what our goal is, why we're doing what we're doing, and what to avoid!"

"Your goal is to keep the Relics away from Salem," Professor Ozpin offered. "In time, I will reveal more, but you must be patient a-"

"We don't have time!" Sun said as he whirled on the man and threw out his arm. "Do you even know where and when we are right now!? Do you have any idea what's happening, or how long it's been since Oscar died!? Not even a day! Salem's probably on her way to Vacuo, and I need answers now! I'm not playing games with you!"

"Nor am I," Professor Ozpin said firmly as he began to walk, circling to one side and tapping his cane upon an imaginary floor as he went. "But you are trying my patience with your absolute refusal to negotiate and understand my position. As it stands now, the process of our… 'merging' as you might call it, is just beginning. We are not yet completely linked, and our auras remain separated. I am hooked into your nervous system, and only just now becoming aware of what you know and have seen in my absence. The process will take time, a-"

"We haven't merged?" Sun asked, turning in place to watch Professor Ozpin walk. "This isn't… it's not a done deal yet?"

Professor Ozpin stopped and narrowed his eyes. Sun knew that the man could sense what he was thinking, whether through their apparent link or something else entirely.

"Sun," Professor Ozpin said, his tone full of warning. "Don't."

"Who is Salem?" Sun asked again, flexing his fingers and reveling in the feeling. "Why can't she be killed? Answer me, now."

"You are about to make a catastrophic mistake, Sun Wukong," Professor Ozpin said as he began to walk once again, prompting Sun to begin circling in the opposite direction. "I tried the soft, accepting approach with Oscar, and he ended up becoming another regret and burden upon my soul. I will not be so gentle with you."

"Is that a threat?" Sun asked, odd splotches of color beginning to fade in around him and the former headmaster. "If you actually saw me as a capable leader, or even an ally, you would drop the act and start cooperating. What is this place we're in right now? Explain it in terms I can understand."

"Your very mind… or, as it is becoming, our mind," Professor Ozpin began. "A space where we begin to meld, and I can start to see your thoughts- feel your feelings. Predict your movements. The process is about halfway complete, and the longer you drag this on, the closer we get to becoming a hybrid entity, sharing your mind in equal measure. Your endless questions are becoming a dangerous, detrimental game…"

"Then answer me one," Sun said as he came to a stop, Professor Ozpin doing the same. "How do we stop Salem?"

Professor Ozpin took one long, final, sobering inhale before he shook his head and paused to take in their surroundings. Tall trees had begun to manifest throughout the area, a bed of wild, lush grass pocked with exotic bushes taking up the forest floor. A stump was nearby, with a golden necklace on a simple black cord resting atop it. The pendant had an embossed design of a stylized monkey upon it, its material catching the moonlight from far above.

"This isn't the Emerald Forest…" Professor Ozpin mused as he looked down to the discarded jewelry. "What is this place? Tell me why it's important to y-'

"Get the hell out of my head!" Sun roared, adopting a fighting stance.

Quite suddenly, the faunus felt a familiar weight in his right hand. He didn't need to look to know that Ruyi Jingu Bang had manifested into his grip, the familiar staff providing him with a renewed confidence as he stared Professor Ozpin down. Sun was breathing hard, adrenaline coursing through his system as he prepared himself to fight.

Professor Ozpin simply stared before moving his cane off to one side, holding it mere inches above the ground. With a sudden, forceful movement, the man thrust the weapon down against the forest floor, causing a swirl of ethereal wind to kick up and radiate out in a shockwave. Plumes of leaves and grass flew upward at the impact before gently beginning to flutter back down.

"Don't."

Despite the threatening gesture and immediate silence as he watched the leaves fell, Sun only felt emboldened by the feeling of the rushing wind upon his skin. It was a reminder that, despite everything, he was still alive.

"I'm done with this. I'm done with you," Sun threatened as he brought his staff around to grip it with both hands. "If this is my mind, my interpretation of some cosmic inevitability… then I'm going to stop it right here and now. You say we can't beat Salem… you say I can't beat you… so if I can turn this around and kick you out, then we have a shot against her. Start talking, or this ends badly. Last chance."

"You are not the first to try this approach," Professor Ozpin said calmly. "And I suspect you will not be the last. Accept that I need to guide our course forward at a pace that may frustrate you, or be humbled, Sun Wukong. If you challenge me and lose, I will not be able to stop the damage it does to your psyche. Our merge will accelerate- perhaps even become immediate- and I will feel no guilt for whatever occurs afterward. This is as accommodating as I am willing to be, and your continued resistance to my good will is becoming aggravating. This is your last chance."

"You're stalling," Sun accused as he adjusted his grip upon the staff. "All you need to do is answer me, and this can be avoided. Make your choice."

"I needn't do so," Professor Ozpin answered. "If I decline to answer, it is not my proverbial life on the line. The choice is yours, and yours alone. If you refuse to share your mind and body, I am more than capable of simply taking it. Do the right thing, Sun. Allow me to prolong what time you have left with those you hold dear, rather than selfishly cutting it short out of spite. What would they say to you, if they saw your actions here and now?"

Sun took a deep breath, and then another. He could see Blake, Ilia, Weiss, Jaune, Yang, Corsac, Sage, Neptune, and the rest of his friends in his mind's eye. What each and every one of them would tell him to do was crystal clear.

Sun thought of Ruby, and the choice she would make in the moment… as well as where it had eventually led her and why.

Sun thought of one other, and the faith and trust that the man had been placed in him. The uncompromising will that the other faunus had shown even in the face of impossible odds, to protect what mattered most to him. To protect his family.

Sun didn't need to look to know what was manifesting around his right arm as the metal plates of Ghira's pauldron and attached gauntlet secured themselves around the limb, their straps pulling tight. A weighty buckle locked in around his waist, providing him a counterbalance that he had grown used to in battle.

Sun ran forward, whirling his staff as Professor Ozpin raised his cane to take up a defensive position.

Author's Note:

Oh look, a major milestone chapter out of nowhere. Who could have foreseeeeeeeeeen.

-RD