It happened soon after Ozpin had finished calming the tempers, even if temporarily, in the hall by taking measures that didn't please the students at all, where the entire school shook with what felt like a seismic tremor.
No matter who it was, everyone within the school came to the same conclusion about the cause behind this anomaly.
Uchiha Sasuke, the god in human form revered as Moonlight Shadow by those who still didn't know his true identity around Remnant.
Without a history of natural disasters of the kind or Grimm in Vale, there weren't many options left capable of making a castle that could withstand a war be shaken like that.
In the infirmary, Yang who was sitting next to the bed where Ruby was resting, found herself jumping to her feet from the fear that such a tremor represented at a time like this.
Sasuke and his absurd power coupled with his emotional instability came to mind and Yang felt her heart weighing with conflict again.
You didn't have to be a genius to know that he was responsible, the problem was not knowing why he was doing it this time and how he managed to keep his Aura suppressed.
Imagining that he was destroying Atlas' military stationed around the school to prove that he wasn't a hero like Ruby believed, made Yang feel guilty for calling him a monster earlier for what else could happen and almost walk out the door, but stopped as she remembered the reason for her being there in the first place.
"Sasuke..." she heard Ruby whisper even though she was unconscious and that didn't help at all with what she was feeling.
Yang clenched her fists, anger rising within her, but only until she could take a deep breath and calm herself before she decided to sit down again and hold her broken little sister's hand.
"You better not do another damn thing this time, Sasuke," was all Yang could ask/demand of that bastard. "Otherwise..."
Their next encounter would be even worse than the first, she would be sure of it.
In the hall, Pyrrha felt her heart tremble next to Beacon Castle, and she wasn't the only one. Nora and Ren exchanged a meaningful look between them, the girl having tears in her eyes and the boy comforting her to ease the feeling of guilt that surely existed for the current situation.
Jaune, who had joined her after Ozpin had appeared, wasn't much better off, as he was the one who had revealed Sasuke's name for everyone to hear and had consequently contributed to what had happened.
However, not one reaction seemed to rival that faunus girl who had just calmed down after putting that boy, Cardin or something, in his place in a not-so-modest way, and dashing without hesitation towards the exit as soon as the tremor occurred, probably to try to find Sasuke.
She really loves and cares for him... Pyrrha couldn't help but show a defeated smile, for she looked at her hand and found herself trembling and unable to do the same, regardless of how much she admired Sasuke. And this girl is not the only one.
There was someone else in this room who loved Sasuke without being afraid of his immeasurable power and emotional instability or of showing such feelings, which didn't include that younger girl wearing the black cloak of red clouds and the blonde girl who stared at Pyrrha with hate-filled red eyes.
"Blake, wait!" Weiss asked and unbelievably her friend heard her request, stopping in her tracks to wait for her, and that made her happy, for showing that Blake trusted her more now. So nothing could be fairer than to surprise her too. In a good way, this time. "I'm coming too!"
And surprised Blake was, smiling in response before agreeing to this partnership so unusual until yesterday, impossible before then but indispensable from now on.
It will be better this way, Blake was sure, because of how broken Sasuke was and it might take a lot more than she had to offer to put him back together. It would be nice if Ruby were here too.
As much as she didn't like to admit it, out of all the girls that were after him, that little girl was the one that affected Sasuke the most and her presence might be what he needed to get out of this crisis.
That was only if Ruby didn't end up making everything worse, considering that it was her words and admiration that ended up breaking him.
Regardless, there was no time to lose.
A shame that not everyone thought so.
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave," came the authoritative voice of Atlas' General, standing at the exit of the hall like a wall next to an armed escort where to Weiss' relief and confusion, Winter was nowhere in sight. "It's too dangerous."
After all, besides his lieutenant having disappeared since he had... "dismissed" her, for a very good reason, he couldn't let the current heiress to the Schnee family put her life and all the other students at risk like that.
That and possibly making matters worse by also being controlled by that Uchiha...even more than she already was, considering everything he knew. Which was a shame, because she had the same qualifications as Winter to possibly become the next Winter Maiden.
Something that was unlikely to happen, given the reaction she was having, almost proving where her "loyalty" lay.
With the enemy.
"With all due respect, General, I don't think that decision falls to you," a half-truth, Weiss knew all too well the kind of power and authority this man possessed; the kind that exceeded even her father. In Atlas, that is.
In Vale, however, the power was in someone else's hands.
"James." Ozpin couldn't help but clench his hands over Long Memory, hating the fact that he imagined such a problem would happen after the meeting they had; one that turned out to be nothing more than a discussion. "What are you doing?"
Besides meddling in his plans, he wanted very much to say.
"Doing my duty to protect people," James gave his straightforward answer, the same one he insisted on keeping after hearing the absurdities this man before him had to say, the supposed protector of humanity that has existed since the beginning of time. "What else does it look like I'm doing?"
If the authoritative and intimidating imposition of his presence meant that much, many there would say that he was trying to take control by force.
"Complicating what is already complicated enough." Ozpin raised his arm to stop Glynda from speaking up, trying to keep this from becoming another discussion and escalating beyond what was necessary. "Besides, I believe these two can take care of themselves."
A way of saying that they could help.
"As well as make the situation even worse," James was having none of it. "I don't intend to let that happen."
Not anymore.
"How exactly would we do that?!" Blake was doing her best not to let her indignation get the best of her, but the answer this man had wasn't helping at all!
"I don't know," James focused on the direction in which a pair of sisters used to leave this hall earlier. "Ask Ruby Rose, I'm sure she can answer that question."
The sarcasm was strong in his words, as was the accusation, and Weiss and Blake found themselves unable to refute it because of the Headmaster's quick intrusion.
"James, that's enough," Ozpin didn't need to hear more to know where this was going. "We can discuss this later."
Unfortunately, this friend of his didn't agree and was more than willing to make that clear.
Along with his anger.
"We don't have time for that!" James made most of the students wince at his change in demeanor and tone of voice, but it didn't matter, for Ozpin remained as unwavering as ever, even when he was clearly making wrong decisions. "I told you that boy was unstable and you didn't listen!"
In truth, Ozpin knew that all along, but preferred to deny that fact as well as hide from him a small massacre that took place in the center of Vale, just before the Grimm attack, at the hands of Uchiha Sasuke!
That...thing, brutalized dozens of people, carbonized one alive, and left two more at death's door, explaining the absurd amount of negativity exuded that managed to attract a record horde of Grimm like that one.
The fact that they were criminals was no justification for committing such atrocities.
No one was above the law, not even a supposed god!
James only found out about this because of the report sent by Doctor Argento and the testimony of one of the victims who regained consciousness in the last few hours, only to show himself mentally broken beyond repair, where the only coherent words spoken by him were the colors of a pair of eyes seen amidst the darkness that haunted him.
Red and purple.
Who else in the world had eyes like that?!
Worst of all, Ozpin knew about it and said nothing!
In that case, how could James continue to rely on a man who had a second agenda and trusted no one but himself?
The sum of all this was what gave life to his current indignation.
A contradiction that Ozpin couldn't help but lament.
Not as unstable as you are proving to be, apparently, he wanted to say, but he refrained, as he had countless other times, from making his thoughts known because he knew that an honest opinion, rather than logic, would only complicate things further. "What do you suggest, then? Do nothing," his eyes narrowed at the possibility he most wanted to avoid, "or..."
He didn't finish, not needing to.
Everyone knew that the function of a General went beyond maintaining order and security in the kingdoms.
That must be why the mere thought of this man wanting to declare war against a god-like Sasuke, put everyone there on edge, knowing how it would end.
Just like all those Grimm.
Suddenly, some people began to understand the real danger that Uchiha Sasuke represented.
Regardless of what he did in solving an ancient problem in Vale, which he himself happened to be responsible for, the fact that he was an unstoppable force of nature remained.
However, contrary to the fear and pessimistic expectations everyone had for him, James wasn't crazy to start a war against that monster.
At least, not yet.
Since the Relics were out of the question, especially the one of destruction which would certainly have its uses at this point, due to them not having access to basically even one of them other than the one of creation, something to keep in mind, and a Maiden not being strong enough, time was needed as well as more genetic material from this little god and James intended to get both.
"I know you believe these girls can...calm him down," a modest way of avoiding using the word control, something Ozpin certainly loved, he came to realize, "but that's not the case at all." What had just happened with Ruby Rose was proof of that, and James didn't intend to let things escalate in that direction even further. "Quite the opposite, being around them is exactly what made him that way."
Even in the previous incident, before Sasuke slaughtered those thugs, according to the classified investigations James had ordered his men to do, he had met with each of these girls and that had to mean something.
Weiss and Blake couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Even more so because they were not sure if they could refute such accusations.
While yes, they had troubled encounters with him, Blake more than Weiss, and unconsciously put some expectations of Remnant's future on his back, in reality, it was Ruby who did and said things that really affected Sasuke.
Still, this time, the blame couldn't be placed entirely on that girl or them, as many factors and other people were involved in that outcome.
"So to prevent something like that or worse from happening again," James ignored Ozpin and the look of disappointment he had to offer his solution to this problem, "I intend to keep all of you away from him."
Preferably sending each of them to one of the other three academies or, as a last resort, expulsion.
"What?!" Weiss and Blake shouted together, one more outraged than the other at the arbitrary decision this General was making.
If it was something directed at Ruby Rose, even though it was unfair, they could understand to a certain extent, but for them too?!
Those two, Nora and Ren, plus the dumb-faced blonde who shouted Sasuke's name for all to hear, had a lot more blame in all this than they did!
"You heard me," James was firm in his decision, and not even Ozpin with his judgment-filled silence could change his mind. "That...boy, he's trouble enough without having you around to make him even more unstable."
Even now, he wasn't sure what that thing was doing, where the outside surveillance cameras were destroyed and not even an alert came from Vale, only that it couldn't be anything good and these girls couldn't see that, being blinded by their feelings or possible manipulation if their defiance meant that much.
All the more reason to go ahead with his decision.
"You can't do this!" Blake would not accept any of that, being one step away from sending everything to hell a second time that day and making this general swallow his teeth! Especially when I just found someone who can help me change... she stopped there, noticing something wrong with her way of thinking and hesitating. Could it be that...I only see Sasuke as a means to an end?
Unconsciously, perhaps that was indeed the case, because of the absurd changes he made in such a short time and everything else he could do if he so wished, but that didn't mean her feelings weren't real.
Otherwise, her chest wouldn't ache at the mere thought of being driven away from him.
What Blake needed to do was to separate her revolutionary viewpoint as a former White Fang member from the power that Sasuke had and start seeing him as the boy who made her heart dance uncontrollably just by being near him.
That must be why she didn't give a damn about what this stupid General had to say.
His opinion and authority were worthless to her.
Only Sasuke could keep her away from him and that wasn't going to happen, not after everything that happened since they met.
Even more, he would come to her, Blake could feel it and then there would be nothing this excuse of a man before her could do, and she couldn't wait to see it happen!
Best of all was knowing that she wasn't the only one to come to a similar conclusion.
For a moment, Weiss was livid beyond reason! Never imagining that after all she had gone through to escape the controlling hands of her father, another man who thought he owned the world would try to meddle in her life and choices!
While she admitted there was some logic, however questionable, behind the actions of this man that her older sister was blindly following, someone who was supposed to be there and raise questions about her whereabouts, what he was trying to do was simply ridiculous!
Not only would they never accept this, regardless of who this man thought he was, but Sasuke would certainly be the same!
Weiss's eyes widened in realization.
How could she have forgotten that?!
Weiss didn't need to go to Sasuke, for he would come to her!
If Blake's change meant that much, she realized that too.
With that in mind, her mood followed that of her friend and changed completely to the confusion of others, including the little General who thought he could do whatever he wanted without consequences.
While she wasn't sure about Sasuke's feelings for her, or the other girls, he definitely needed them.
After all, he tested and chose them to help him with a threat that even he couldn't handle.
Being by Sasuke's side meant so much more than these people could remotely imagine!
"Very well then," Weiss smiled with a characteristic confidence that many expected of her, especially for this man before her who didn't know what he was getting into, and was the one hugging Blake to repeat a familiar scene. "Let's see how the General intends to keep a god, whose power no one knows the limit of, away from us."
This time it was she who had the sarcasm dripping venom from her words, and James felt as if he was standing before that snake that Jacques Schnee was.
In the end, it seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Before he could say anything, however, an alert sounded on his Scroll to inform him of Sasuke's possible location, where movement and Aura readings were detected above the school.
It was about time, and since Ozpin was also checking his Scroll, James wasn't the only one to get this information.
That aside, putting all attention and effort into looking for that Uchiha in the city of Vale was a mistake, apparently.
Now, he needed to go check it out himself; see if that thing was even on the school premises and its emotional state.
How dangerous Sasuke was at the moment.
If James and all of Remnant were lucky, he would find him unconscious, the result of something similar to the panic attack Ruby Rose had.
The mere thought of this problem solving itself excited him to no end.
But before that, putting these girls in their proper place was a must.
"While you are correct, Weiss Schnee, in assuming that I cannot stop Uchiha Sasuke," for the moment, James refrained from saying, "If you two care about this world and the people in it," he turned his back and walked towards the exit, but his men remained motionless where they were, having already received their orders not to let these students leave, "you will stay away from that boy and that goes for everyone here." He stopped at the door to look over his shoulder. "Otherwise..." his eyes were cold in a way that promised pain. "Start considering yourselves enemies of Remnant."
If he couldn't keep Sasuke away from them, he would make them wish to stay away from him.
By whatever means necessary.
Only silence remained where the General's words and their meaning echoed in the minds of all the students there.
Ozpin took a second to see the reaction such a threat had on the students and its immediate effect.
While Blake and Weiss remained motionless, clearly in shock at this unexpected turn of events, the vast majority of the students with the exception of Pyrrha Nikkos, Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie, began to turn away from them in an almost frightened manner.
Such a scene, seeing what was happening inside his own school, right after he had promised that everything would be okay and the martyr that James was making the girls associated with Sasuke become, gave life to a long-forgotten feeling of anger, resurfacing inside him like a flame that inevitably came out of his eyes.
Without saying anything, not to see himself making promises that would not be kept, Ozpin headed in the same direction as this supposed friend of his, who managed to become a disappointment in record time but remained just another one of many in his long life, having Glynda at his side and the soldiers guarding the exit wasn't stupid enough to try to stop them.
Should they try, Ozpin wouldn't be responsible for his actions at that moment.
The door closed as soon as they had passed and the facade that could barely hide his anger was gone as his staff struck the ground to make arcs of green electricity rise around them, forcing this man who was clearly ignoring him to stop in his tracks.
"What exactly are you trying to do, James?" he didn't ask, he demanded of this man before him who didn't even deign to look into his eyes. "I asked you a question!"
Glynda had to cover her eyes as more power was unleashed to blow out all the nearby light fixtures and leave the illumination to the moon, nervousness escalating with each second as she witnessed something she believed to be impossible.
In all the years since she had begun to follow this enigma who had dedicated his millennial existence to protecting the world from the true threat that lurked in the darkness, she had never seen him lose his temper like that.
This just went to show how serious it was what just happened.
This time, James had crossed the line.
"I believe I have answered that question more than once today, Ozpin." James didn't know why he was surprised, perhaps because he didn't expect a reaction like that from the man who often felt like a living statue. "And my response will remain the same."
Protect the people of this world at all costs.
"So putting my students against each other and angering someone you yourself claim to be unstable is your way of protecting people?" Ozpin had lived and known enough people to know where this was destined to go. "If so, I think you've simply lost your mind!"
"And what do you suggest?!" James had enough, too. "Entrusting the fate of this world to a bunch of hormonal teenagers?!" Something like that was bound to go wrong and the consequences could only be disastrous! "If so then tell me who exactly is losing their minds here?!"
A rhetorical question, if the reaction he was having would serve as an answer.
"You don't understand," Ozpin needed to take a breath to keep this from escalating further. "The situation itself is unprecedented, for never before has a mortal with the power of a god walked upon this world." Not even himself, in his prime, or Salem could compare to Sasuke. "Someone possibly unstable, as you so much like to say, but who definitely possesses a heart with goodness within him."
Otherwise, why would he bother getting rid of the Grimm in the first place?
Because he cares.
"Even if that's true," James found himself following suit as he calmed down and tried to be reasonable as well. "It doesn't change the fact that he's still a threat."
One that Remnant was not yet prepared to deal with.
With Salem, while she was a problem with no apparent end, it was one they could handle and offer resistance against.
With Uchiha Sasuke it was different.
If he decided to go crazy for good and attack the kingdoms, it would be the end of everything.
There was no way he wouldn't be on edge with such a thought constantly screaming in his mind.
"Yes, I agree," Ozpin never denied that fact, being very aware of the danger Sasuke posed, "But as I said before, he is a threat we can use." There were so many possibilities, including ending this endless war. "All I ask is that you wait until tomorrow."
When the initiation would take place.
"Are you really going to do that?" James tensed up again, because of the ideas this man had, being as dangerous as Uchiha Sasuke. "Release that thing?"
An ancient Grimm or defective Fragment of Darkness that was personally created by the God of Darkness, as Ozpin had explained; a creature that he failed to destroy and ended up sealing beneath what came to be the Haven academy, dangerously close to the relic of knowledge.
According to Ozpin, this thing was going to end up breaking free at some point in the near future anyway, since after so long, the seal had weakened as much as his powers.
In short, the plan was to revolve the initiation around this and use Sasuke to kill this thing... while risking the lives of all the people in the kingdom.
Absolutely insane.
Especially since Ozpin was confident that if things got out of hand, he could deal with everything.
The question was how he intended to do that, even more so when even back when he was a legendary hero, Ozpin wasn't able to destroy this so-called Fragment, and the answer was one he refused to elaborate on.
Those secrets were another reason for James to trust this man less and less.
"If Sasuke shows up tomorrow." Even knowing the danger, Ozpin had already made his decision. "Then yes, I will break the seal."
After feeling that loving heart and seeing the way that boy interacted with the people around him, he decided to believe in hope again.
After all, if Sasuke was not a savior, he would be a destroyer, and Ozpin preferred the first option.
"What if it all goes wrong?" James was unconvinced, needing more; a definitive answer. "What if Sasuke proves to be a threat even after eliminating that thing?"
Continue to prove himself to be one, he wanted to say, just as that boy had already done this day.
"If that happens, then..." Ozpin might want to believe in hope, but he wasn't naïve not to cogitate the worst-case scenario. "We'll do things your way."
That was all James needed to hear.
"All right then," he also made his decision; to trust Ozpin one last time. "However, I'll have all my troops and Haven's forces on standby at the scene."
Ozpin merely nodded, this arrangement being the best he could get at the moment, where having James as an ally was better than as an enemy.
Under one condition, however.
Glynda, who merely listened to the insanities these two had in mind, felt the temperature drop with the onset of a cold that could only be described as sinister, being very similar to when that boy let his negativity spread throughout the kingdom.
Only this time, Sasuke wasn't responsible, and like that, another unknown side of the man she was following was revealed.
"One more thing, James," Ozpin cooled his expression in a way he hadn't done in a long time and let his hostility surge along with his power, manifesting like electricity around his body. "If you threaten my students again," his eyes glowed to the point of catching fire, warning, "forget Uchiha Sasuke, I will become your worst nightmare."
James felt sweat drip down his back even as that cold feeling permeated the air around him and understood that their relationship would never be the same after this day.
Ozpin was no longer joking and the threat was clear as day.
If James crosses his path again...it could be the last thing he would do in this life.
All the more reason to continue with my plans. If he couldn't handle these power entities, he would simply have to become one too. "I understand."
Was what he had to say and the oppressive feeling that surrounded him disappeared.
"Good to know we've come to an agreement," Ozpin regained his usual mannerism, acting as if nothing had happened before looking at Glynda and having her shudder under his gaze. Things really won't be like they used to be. That's why he preferred to keep that side of him hidden. "If it's not too much to ask, Glynda, could you take us up there?" he pointed in the direction of the peaks of his castle where activity had been registered, and his right hand took a second to come out of her stupor state to agree to his request. "Thank you."
There was a smile on his face, the same one she had seen every day since she was a mere student in this academy, but Glynda could only feel goosebumps because of it this time.
Now she knew how fake such a gesture was and it gave life to doubts she never believed she would have and...fear.
Sorry for the delay, shit happens sometimes, but I don't want to talk about it.
That's all for now, so don't forget to review, and if you want to support me and read ahead take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
If nothing else happens, the next one will be out by the end of the month.