Unexpected Incarnate (RWBY Ozpin Incarnate SI)

Qrow's POV

Well, I spoke with Oz last night about our next move, and I can frankly say I don't like it. Going to Atlas with the relic of Knowledge and working with Jimmy? Is that truly the best idea we should go through? But what the hell do I know? The kid said that this is where we headed off in the story he saw. Heh, still couldn't believe until now that we're just a story in his world.

But I must admit, I took a big gamble with the kid days before the attack on Haven when he told me of Salem's apparent immortality when we were alone in the forest, much to my and Oz's surprise. Frankly, I'm amazed that Oz didn't just take over to stop when the kid told everything.

Well, technically, Oz did try to stop him, in fact, but the kid succeeded in holding him off and told me the truth.

The story of Remnant and how Salem led humanity against the Brother Gods. And how the witch was immortal and couldn't be killed.

He willingly affected his relationship with Oz to tell me the truth, and I was rightfully pissed about it. I thought for a moment Oz was making us fight an undefeatable war, and I was furious and wanted to lash out at him for lying to us. To me. I trusted him.

And Oz hid the truth from all of us.

But even as I lashed at him, Zack told me something that stopped me.

Flashback

"Qrow, please listen to me! I know you're rightfully pissed at Oz, but please listen! I know, as risky and crazy as it sounds, but I have a plan to use the Relic to find a permanent solution to stop Salem!" He begged, as I saw red with rage and swung Harbinger at him, which he barely dodged.

"Stop lying to me, kid! You told me Ozpin asked the Relic how he can stop Salem, and it says he can't!" I roared back as he parried or dodged my relentless attacks.

"That's the point, Qrow! Oz asks how can HE stop Salem, not how Salem can be defeated! There are fictional stories of spirits that offer wishes in my world and how they take requests literally! I think the Relic of Knowledge was acting just like that! It told Oz how he and he alone could not defeat Salem, but I believe that she still can be stopped!" Zack begged while I punched his sword off his hand and swung a fist which he was barely able to stop. At that point, I thought through his words.

And it made some sense. But do I want to put my trust in false hope?

"Please, Qrow. I get you're pissed at Oz for hiding things from the people he trusts, that includes you. But he's worried about how you and everyone else would react to the awful truth. Your understandable reaction right now proves his worry correct. I know this as well, and I'm fully prepared to accept the consequences if Salem is indeed immortal."

"So please, Qrow. I fully intend on taking that gamble as soon as we retrieve the relic in the coming weeks. I… understand if you're reluctant to put your trust in me, but… do you believe in me? Are you willing to put your trust in me that Salem can be stopped permanently?" Zack asked while I paused and brought Harbinger down with all my rage simmering down.

Minutes passed before I spoke after pondering through it. "Look, I'm not okay with this kid. But if you truly believed that Salem could be stopped… I trust you." I gritted my teeth as a sombre smile grew on the Fox Faunus' face.

"Thank you, Qrow. You have no idea what this meant to me and… I get it if you want some time alone to think it through. I need some to talk to Oz as well, since I… told his secret to you without his permission. He is… understandably displeased at my choice." Zack mumbled out as I couldn't help but chuck in an attempt to light up the mood.

"Yeah, I get it, kid. Sorry about hitting ya."

"Eh, it's alright… I just need to see it done."

Flashback end

I'm glad that his gamble paid off. Wouldn't want to know how the others would react to it. For all I know, it would no doubt ruin his relationship with everyone, including my nieces. But I know that even if that's the case, he will move forward as he puts it. Sometimes I wonder whether that is all just bravado or if he really meant his word.

But so far, he's been keeping to it.

"No… please…" Oh, right… and, uh, right now? Kiddo's not doing so hot right now. I had my suspicions that something was off with him the day after the battle for Haven. He appears more tense and alert than normal, even compared to the others, who were more relaxed after the battle. Then Firecracker came to me yesterday afternoon and told me what happened.

Apparently, he nearly punched Pipsqueak in the face when he saw Cinder instead. A big sign he was off, and I immediately knew that kiddo was going through some traumatising shit. No doubt, his close encounter with death had shaken him up badly and made him… visibly disturbed. But even more so when mini-ice queen was the one who snapped him out of his freak-out session by hugging him.

I swear, those two are getting unusually cosy around each other, Firecracker believes that something's going on with each other. And I'm pretty sure neither of them are aware of it.

"Get away… Please… Make it stop…" I turned my head towards Kiddo, who was weeping and had tears dripping down his cheeks. He's been like this for an hour already, and I had hoped it would stop. But guess not. I'm not great at the whole therapy thing, but I should probably get him up and have him talk about it or something.

Better than having him suddenly screaming in the morning and waking everyone up.

Slowly pushing off my bed, I knelt beside Zack's bed before resting my hand on his arm and gently shaking. "Kid, wake up," I spoke softly as I shook his arm further. "You're having a nightmare. Wake up." Zack let out a pained groan before I watched as his eyes opened up and looked at me as they blinked.

"Qrow?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"You're whimpering for an hour, kid. Had to wake you up before you started screaming or something." I explained as he slowly wiped his tears with silent shock. I think.

"I… I was crying?"

He asked as I nodded my head. "Yes, you were, kid. Nightmare?"

"Yeah… What time is it?" Zack then asked while he pushed himself up.

'Early in the morning." I answered before none of us spoke for a minute while Kiddo stared at something with puffy eyes. "Want to talk about it, kid?"

"I…" Zack let out an exhausted sigh before his hand went up to his forehead. "It's the same bloody nightmare about that Cinder bitch like yesterday. She's… I… I felt helpless as she killed me over and over. I…" More tears began dripping from his eyes while I silently listened to him. The kid's got PTSD. When I was working with Oz, I heard about some veteran Huntsman like yours truly suffering something similar.

Never thought his next incarnate would go through something like this. Then again, Oz is ancient, from what Kiddo had told me. Who knows what he's been through, but only he can tell us himself.

"I want that to stop. I want the phantom pains to stop. I want the flashbacks of that woman ever since that day to stop. I want all the pain to stop… I want it all gone…" Zack wept before I sighed. Kid had it rough, but he can't wallow over it in self-pity.

"I believe you, as well as I know how things will not get easier, kid. If what you said of a future you've seen is accurate, things will get even more rougher. Take time some time to recover from this but know you got people looking after ya." I'm not great at the whole taking thing, but it appears to have worked when Kiddo blinked before wiping his tears away.

"Yeah, I got team RWBY, JNR, you and probably Neo to help me." A small smile grew on Zack's face before it hardened. "It will not be easy for me to recover from that, but I have to move onwards. If not for myself, then for everyone else. I'll do what I can, Qrow." Eh, not what I am aiming for but close enough.

"Good," I muttered before standing up. "Go and get yourself washed up. And perhaps cook breakfast for everyone since you are up early. They'll appreciate it." I said before heading straight for the door. But as I did, I picked up Kiddo whispering out to me.

"Thanks for everything you've done for me, Qrow."

"Eh, it's nothing," I mumbled before leaving. I'll leave them to take care of themselves.

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Zack's POV

Ah, nothing like the smell of bacon cooking in the oven while I make a crap ton of scrambled eggs in the morning. After my episode in the early morning and Qrow's intervention, which I'm thankful for, I did as he suggested and washed myself up before making a brief visit to the market to buy ingredients for breakfast. In addition, Oz has been quiet since Qrow woke me up and knowing him, he's still sleeping right now.

Okay, it is now a new day and close to seven. There's much to be done.

Firstly, I will be attending a talk between Ghira, Kali Belladonna, Sun and Ilia, and I. Blake still hasn't gotten back to me about when they'll be coming over, but I'm sure they will show up today. And then there are also my plans to figure out the extent of my Semblance with Weiss's help.

Am I missing anything else?

Oh, right! I need to tell everyone our plans to go to Altas, and we would have to wait for two weeks before we can leave for Argus. Ah… I still don't understand how coincidental it was for them to undergo retrofitting just after the battle for Haven. But retrofitting into what? New carts or chairs or what?

Shaking my head while humming happily at the prospect of food, I brought my attention back to the pan filled with scrambled eggs before pulling it off the fire and dumping its contents onto a big plate. Us Huntsmans tend to eat much more than an average person should. I mean, seriously, I've used over twenty large eggs and over thirty bacon strips for today's breakfast alone, knowing that Nora would eat more than her fair share.

That and we have ten people staying in this building.

I'm still amazed we still have plenty of Lien left, with the most diverted to our food expenses. It doesn't help that I intend to try and make a full English breakfast for everyone, so I have to buy plenty of ingredients. Yup, and that means bacon, sausages, eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and bread for today's breakfast.

I'm sure everyone will enjoy it. Once I'm done making it, at least. However, doing it alone will take a while since I'm making ten portions. Good thing everyone else would wake up later. Though, I hope they will be up before the food gets cold. Actually, I hope Weiss wouldn't be picky and complain about it. I've planned to put my all into today's breakfast.

…

"Wait, why am I thinking about her again?"

Before I could ponder even longer, I heard footsteps behind me as I ensured the beans were not burning. From the sound of it, I think that is Neo's footsteps. Without even looking, I spoke, "Neo? Is that you?" I ask as the individual pauses. "Morning. How can I help you? I'm making breakfast over here." I said before taking a quick peek behind me to see Neo in her outfit again, though she had a lazy look.

Right. Neo probably had no other clothes when she joined us and must be here because she smelled the bacon in the oven or something.

Neo rubbed her eyes as I returned my attention and began pan-frying the sausages by the handful. The next thing I knew, I could hear her footsteps as she walked into the sight of my eyes with curious looks in her eyes. It was then that an idea popped into my head. I could have Neo help me in cooking breakfast for everyone.

Wait, can she even cook?

"You know, you could help me make breakfast, Neo." I said with my eyes still on the pan with sizzling sausages on it as Neo appeared to be stumped by my request from what I could tell from the corner of my eyes. "I'm not going to ask you to do much. Just help ensure the beans are not burned, nor are the bacon in the oven, and I'll handle the rest." I continued on, while Neo now had an indecisive look on her face.

I guess she's not used to people requesting her help besides Torchwick. "If you don't wish to help, I can understand," I add before Neo gives me a visible shrug and uses her semblance to become a copy of me for some reason. With a shit-eating grin on her face, Neo assisted me as I cooked the next batch of sausages.

I gotta admit, it feels weird seeing Neo using my form to assist in making breakfast, but at least she's helping out. She even took the time to take out the utensils and the plates onto the table. Neo returned to take the baked bacon out of the oven when we heard multiple footsteps.

"Mmm! That smells great!" Ruby cheerfully said out loud as Neo poked me before placing her finger on her lips. Oh, so you want to prank everyone who is the real me, huh? You know what? I don't see an issue with that. It's harmless and would be entertaining to see whether everyone is the real me.

I simply gave a silent chuckle with a grin, while Neo smirked.

"You said it." I then heard Jaune alongside the others. And from the sounds of their footsteps, I could guess they were all waiting for each other before coming down for breakfast.

"Yeah! I think Zacky's cooking again today! Blake, you've got to try them. They're delicious!" I heard Nora as their footsteps got ever closer. At this point, I just have the bread left to fry, then we can eat.

"Really? Well, that's true from the aroma I can smell." Blake idly added.

"I have to wonder what he's making today. His food is something I recommend you to try." And there's Weiss.

"Did I just hear you complimenting his cooking, Weiss?" Yang asked ludicrously, and that made me raise an eyebrow. "You have never done that to anyone here when we cooked!"

"Unlike yours, Arakan's cooking can be mouth-watering, and if he wishes, he could make them healthy." That earned a raised eyebrow from Neo, who looked at me curiously before I shook my head at her. Please refrain from asking this now, Neo.

Thankfully, before she could question me, team RWBY and JNR walked into the kitchen to see me and Neo disguised as me. To say that it was an understatement that it was difficult to hide my laugh from the gang would be a lie because it was thanks to the looks we were getting. In fact, most of their faces show some measures of shock. While Weiss, Yang and Ren must be thinking the line of, 'You have got to be kidding me! He's working with her now?!'

Even funnier were Ruby and Nora, who were giving us dumbfounded looks while going back and forward between me and Neo. Seeing their reactions made both of us grin at each other.

Oh, this will be entertaining for us. I just know it.

"Zack?" Ruby called out to me as we looked at her.

"Which of you is Neo?" Yang spoke dryly as we nodded our heads in sync. Let the funnies begin. "Wonderful, they're working together." Yang then sarcastically commented while Weiss glared at both of us.

"Are you seriously playing a prank on both of us, Arakan?" Both of us simply let out a silent laugh before taking out our scrolls, typing in simultaneously, and then sending a message together. Oh yeah, Neo's now in our group chat since she joined us yesterday, and it's one of the few tools everyone could use to talk to Neo without understanding sign language or guessing from her expressions.

[Yes, let us see if you can tell which of us is which. Have a seat while we finish making breakfast.]

(Yes, let us see if you can tell which of us is which. Have a seat while we finish making breakfast.)​

We watched as everyone pulled out their scroll to read our message, and with a smirk on our faces, Neo and I returned to whatever we were doing and occasionally switched jobs to blend in further. As I took another peek at the gang now at the dining table waiting for us, it was obvious that they were displaying a colourful blend of emotions, though some more than others.

Though interestingly enough, Nora, Ruby, Yang, Jaune and Ren were actively watching our every movement as if to see whether they could spot the discrepancy between Neo and me, while Weiss and Blake were silently watching our every move. Thankfully, Neo has proven to be a capable actor, so it took them a while to figure out who's who. Or at least that was until Weiss spotted the discrepancy between the both of us.

"It's his tail," Weiss muttered in realisation as she explained. "Watch them. I know that he loves cooking, and as much as Zack hides it, his tail's behaviour reveals his inner feelings." I felt everyone's eyes on the back of my head while I finished frying the last bread.

Right… my tail.

"Oh yeah… Zacky is expressive with his tail…" Ruby uttered in revelation before I heard Weiss again.

"Now look at him." Weiss must be pointing at Neo. "His tail isn't moving as widely as it should be when it comes to cooking, which he enjoys doing. No doubt that person is Neo in disguise." Weiss concludes as I let out a sigh before turning to see Neo reverting to her true form and letting out a disappointed pout.

"Took ya about a couple of minutes to find out who's who. Congrats, guys." I gave my friends a clap while Neo gave a mute laugh before joining them on the table while I brought the fried bread to the table, followed by Weiss asking an indictment question.

"Zack, Why did Miss Politian use her semblance to look like you, and in addition, why did you decide that it was a good idea to pull a prank in the morning?" The ex-heiress asked with annoyance and arms folded, while I couldn't help but show an amused grin.

"Well, she woke up earlier than the rest of you. She walked into the kitchen while I was making breakfast. It was then that I decided to get her to help out before requesting her assistance, and so she did. After using her semblance to look like me." I explained as Neo used her fork to grab one of the sausages while continuing.

"As for why we played with everyone. It's fun to mess with people." I gave a cheek grin before I began distributing the meals to everyone while they stood by and watched the amount of food on the table.

"How long have you been working on this?" Ren then asked as I shrugged.

"Eh, an hour to get all the ingredients and return, followed by another hour to cook everything."

"Wow." I heard Blake mutter as I placed some tasty bacon and sausages on her plate.

"What is this?" Nora asked as she held on to her utensils while salivating at the meal that stood before her. Kinda glad she learned to be patient and wait until everyone has food on their plates.

"Ah, this is known as a Full English breakfast. It has everything you see on your plates except it has sunny-side-up eggs instead of scramble and black pudding, which originates from the United Kingdom of Great Britain in my world." I explained as I could see an intrigued look on Weiss's face.

"What is black pudding?" Ruby then asked, as I felt a bit squeamish. I remember back on Earth when I researched black pudding. Apparently, it is a type of blood sausage, and it is made with pork or beef blood, pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat groats, or barley groats. Sounds tasty, except for the use of pork or beef blood.

"It's a type of blood sausage made from beef or pork blood, among other things. It is also one of the oldest forms of sausage in my world. So, fun fact of the day, I guess." I shrugged.

"Ew…" I heard Ruby blanch in disgust, while I could only nod my head in agreement, while Neo looked at me as if I had grown a second head. Oh yeah, I need to tell her about that. Screw it. Since we have time, I'll address it today.

"Anyway… I got some stuff to tell you about our next move." I said as everyone began digging in while I sipped water. "First of all, I've been keeping some stuff from you, Neo, and I know you have questions about what I said earlier." I said as everyone at the table turned their heads warily towards Neo. Who had a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"Are you sure you want to tell her about your… well… secret?" Jaune asked, tense in tone, before I sighed and nodded my head.

"I've been thinking about this for a while," I mumbled, while Neo looked at me questionably as she resumed chewing on the bacon in her mouth. "Just as I told Blake yesterday, since she joined us, it's only fitting that Neo knows my secret as well. But until later, I'll hold off on some details for now." I explained before silence took over the table.

"I understand if you're uncomfortable, but trust is a two-way system. If Neo is to join us on our quest, she needs to know about it sooner than later." I said before shoving some scrambled egg into my mouth. And much to my surprise, Yang is the first to speak, though begrudgingly from her tone.

"I'm not okay with this, Zacky, but if you feel you must, do it. Go ahead."

"Yeah, same here. But it's your decision." Jaune added in, and soon, everyone reluctantly agreed to allow me to tell Neo about my origins. And so, I did. As expected from anyone except me, Neo didn't believe anything I said and was genuinely in disbelief when I mentioned that a portion of my memories is from another world entirely and that we're just a show in that world.

I… had to reveal one of my tricks by calling Neo by her original name, Trivia Vanille. While she did freeze and tense up upon hearing her old name, she didn't lash out. So that's good.

"I do not wish to bring any harm to you, Neo. You are part of us now, and while it is true that everyone doesn't trust you because of your history with Torchwick and other stuff. I'm willing to give you a shot, as are the others." I explained as team RWBY, minus Blake and JNR, slowly nodded their heads suspiciously at the ice cream girl.

I noticed a frown grow on Neo's face as she folded her arms for a moment. And eventually, she gave a nonchalant shrug before gesturing to me that she didn't care about my out worldly origins, nor did she need the approval of the others during her stay here.

So that's good. With that done, everyone resumed their meals before Nora and Yang began stuffing bacon and sausages down their throats while Weiss and Blake gave them dirty looks. Ren looked unbothered by Nora and Yang's eating habits as he slowly ate his tomatoes and mushrooms, while Ruby was cheerful over the taste of good food.

But it wasn't long until I decided to speak again.

"Oh, by the way, we're leaving for Argus in about two weeks. Apparently, the trains are undergoing refitting for some reason" I visibly rolled my eyes at how it seemed to be a coincidence that it was delayed for two weeks. As expected of them, Ren was the first to speak.

"Why do we need to head for Argus?" He asked as everyone nodded with him in agreement.

"Well, the relic of Knowledge, mainly. We must escort it to Atlas through Argus for its safety and meet up with General Ironwood to make our next move there." I explained, while Weiss looked understandably annoyed that we were going back there.

"Are you serious? Was this your idea or Headmaster Ozpin's idea, Arakan? You are aware of the amount of effort it took to get out of Atlas, yes?" Weiss voiced her displeasure at me while I could only wince. It was a mixture of both our ideas, actually… Ozpin wants to get there to secure the relic, while my main objective is to get there as fast as we can and stem Ironwood's paranoia before he goes nuts from it.

And hopefully, prevent Atlas from falling and use it as a base for us or something…

I could only let out a nervous chuckle in an effort to calm myself down. Angry Weiss can be scary. "Well… it's mainly Oz's idea for us to get to Atlas, and we need General Ironwood's help to guard the relic." I explained all the while as Weiss's light blue eyes met my own as she studied me.

Rather intensely, I must add.

Weiss then let out a resigned sigh. "Very well … Then what about how we are supposed to get to Atlas from Argus?"

I, uh, it is still in work in progress, Weiss. And the current idea in my head was what they did in canon. Using her to get them to Altas through Cordovin. Even then, the plan will fail due to her racism. Gah! There's no easy way to do this… In short, I don't have one, but I'm sure I can come up with something.

"Right now, I don't have a plan, but I can develop one eventually." With my hands up, I could only give a sheepish grin while Weiss gave me a ludicrous look. Please don't hurt me.

"Well, if you don't have one right now, I'm sure you can!" Ruby thankfully jumped in and took the conversation away from me as I sighed in relief. What's wrong with me? Why am I so scared of Weiss all of a sudden? Is it because of my trauma, or is there something else going on that's making me act this way?

I'll worry about that later.

We ended up chatting for a couple more minutes about what we could do throughout the two weeks. Though, I did notice that some of my friends gave me strange glances occasionally. But before I forget, I should ask when Blake's parents, Sun and Ilia, would show up.

"Blake, care if I ask when will your parents be coming over?" I asked as the cat Faunus was finishing up her eggs.

"My father mentioned that he would be here in the afternoon. I assume you have plans in the morning?"

"Yeah, I planned to work with Weiss on figuring out my semblance after breakfast." I answered honestly. What I did not expect was for Nora to join in suddenly.

"Oh, right! Your Dust manipulation semblance thingy! Can we come along and see?" I swear Nora would make herself sick with how fast she vibrated with enthusiasm.

"Yeah! I wanna see it as well!" Ruby joined in after drinking her water. Unsure about whether she was OK with it, I glanced at Weiss, who looked back at me before nodding. I suppose she's letting me decide.

"I guess it should be fine."

"Yeah!"

A smile soon found its way to my lips. "Well then, let's wash up our meals, then we can head for the patio and see what I can do. By the way, can you guys handle the washing, since I cooked everyone breakfast?" I then asked before Ren spoke with a gentle smile.

"Of course, we can do that. You did cook breakfast for us all, after all."

"Thanks!" And with that, I left the dining room, unaware that my friend had begun talking about me and was getting increasingly worried about how I acted as if nothing was wrong after yesterday's incident.

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Much later, everyone soon found themselves on the patio, well… almost everyone. Neo went off to do her own thing, I hadn't seen Qrow at all since morning, and Ozpin's still sleeping. But besides that, all of us came to our Huntsman clothing as Weiss and I were in the middle of the patio while everyone sat aside. In addition, she brought an entire suitcase full of all varieties of Dust from somewhere.

And when I asked her where she got them from, Weiss simply smirked and, in her words, said that it was a secret where she got them from. Weiss must have used her Schnee status to get them from somewhere at a lower price.

"Now, let's see what you can do with this," Weiss said as she handed me a vial of fire Dust with its cap removed by her. Bringing my hand up, we watched as fire Dust began to leave the vial and began to flow around my arm before gathering into a ball above my palm. And with my eyes on the Dust gathered above my palm, Weiss's eyes narrowed as she rested one arm over the other.

"I wonder… If I could do something similar in Avatar…" I wondered internally before I took several steps back and imagined activating the Dust in my hand. And it worked! The fire Dust ball instantly ignited into a fireball, and Weiss's eyes widened in surprise. Swinging my arm over my head, the ball of fire began to stretch out like a whip and with a flick of my arm, the fire whip went down on several ice blocks created by Weiss.

It's almost as if I'm controlling the flames themselves. How interesting…

Bringing my hand back, those flames immediately retreated into a ball above my palm again. "What did you just do?" Weiss blankly asked as I could see awe from my friends sitting by.

"I have no idea, to be honest," I muttered with a shrug. "I just imagine a whip and let my body take it from here."

"I see…" Weiss hummed with a nod before suddenly pulling a notebook and pencil out from somewhere and scribbling down her observations.

"Back in Haven, I did notice something Ishmael did when she… possessed your body." Weiss changed the topic as I perked up slightly. "I do not understand how, but she drained fire Dust from Hazel and absorbed them. Perhaps you could do something similar?"

Ishmael absorbed Dust? I guess it makes sense that she could do it, but can I? Perhaps it's worth a try. "Okay, I'll try," I muttered before commanding the fireball floating over my palm to dissipate, and it did. Revealing a small ball of fire Dust left.

"Ruby, get a bucket of water, just in case this dolt sets himself on fire." Hey! What the hell, woman! I gave Weiss a bitter look before I heard Ruby affirming her partner's request as she zipped away and left a trail of roses behind, all while chuckles went around from everyone else. And I think Blake asked the others for more information about me.

Okay, besides that, time to see if her theory works.

Bringing my hand over the ball of fire Dust, I imagined myself absorbing it. And for a moment, I thought nothing had happened until I heard Weiss gasp out and the burning feeling coursing through my veins starting from my arms! "What the-?!"

Those were the words I managed to gasp out before I fell to my hands as I could see my aura flicking as if reacting to it. But strangely, the burning feeling faded away, and I was relatively okay. I think. The next thing I knew, I could see Weiss kneeling beside me as I felt her hand resting on my arm.

"Damn! Are you alright?" Did Weiss just curse out?

"Yeah, besides the burning feeling, I just felt, I feel okay now." I smiled before getting back on my feet. But Weiss still looked concerned as she glanced from my eyes to something behind me. "About that…" Weiss muttered as I heard my friend running at me and yelling something about my tail on fire.

Ah, it appears that my tail is on fire.

…

Wait…

My tail's on fire?!

"Wait, what!?" I uttered, my voice full of panic because, yes! My tail is engulfed by purple fire! What the fuck?! "Oh God! My tail's on fire! Fire! Fire! Someone put it out! PUT! IT! OUTTTT!" I began screaming like a girl and running around in circles like a headless chicken.

Yup…

How.

Embarrassing.

Thankfully, I didn't have to fear it much, as, within a second, Ruby appeared out of nowhere and drenched me in water.

"I got it!" Ruby laughed after dumping a bucket's worth of water onto me while I stared at her soaking wet. Not a great feeling, I tell you. Kind of glad that scrolls are waterproof. But pushing that aside, why was my tail on fire when I absorbed fire Dust?

"Would the same thing happen when I absorb other types of Dust?" I wondered momentarily before my tail suddenly burst into purple flames again, much to our surprise. And after freaking out for about a minute straight, I finally calmed down alongside everyone else, and I realised something.

The flames didn't hurt at all. They just make my tail feel warm…

"So, your tail is fine?" Jaune asked as I nodded before Nora pulled out a stick with marshmallows from somewhere and began roasting them over my tail, much to my and everyone's utter confusion. Where did she even get that from, anyway?

Except for Ren, who gave Nora a questionable look. "What?" Nora asked as if she had done nothing strange while Weiss groaned and rubbed her nose. The ex-heiress then pulled out the same notebook from earlier and began scribbling again.

"Ignoring that, this is an interesting effect."

"It is. Talk about bringing in the heat, Zacky." Yang grinned. Oh, for fuck's sake Yang! We don't need a fire pun right now.

"Keep talking, and I'll shove my flaming tail into your face, Yang." I gave Yang a dry look, and to emphasise my threat, my tail began burning ever brighter as she took a step back with a nervous look. However, Nora's grin grew wider before biting down on her marshmallow snack.

So good for her, I guess.

"Hey… you won't do that to your friend, right?"

"Try me." I deadpanned at Yang before Weiss coughed into her hand to get my attention.

"Back to what we're doing. Can you see if you can send a fireball at one of the targets, Arakan?" Weiss requested as I nodded at her. Yeah, time to see what I can do with this. Getting into my stance while my friends took several steps back, I stepped forward and sent my fist ahead.

And as I did it, the burning feeling I'd felt earlier came back through much milder and more tolerable, as I could feel it travel through my body from my tail before exiting through my fist in a ball of purple fire that flew and exploded upon contact with one of the targets. Whoa.

That's awesome!

Glancing at my friends, I could see their mouths wide open before I had another idea and thrust my other first forward. It was then that a stream of purple fire came out of my fist and over the patio. Holy shit, I am fire-bending! Sorta! But close enough! Thankfully, nothing was flammable nearby, so we didn't have to worry about a fire breaking out.

"That's so cool!" Though I couldn't look away from where I was aiming without fear of burning everything down, I could tell that that was Nora, and she was probably vibrating on the spot or something.

Though it appears that I couldn't keep up with it as the stream of fire I was spouting out of my fist as it quickly weakened before running out. Staring at my fist, I then glanced at my tail to see that it was no longer on fire. Interesting… So, my tail will experience changes depending on what Dust I absorb.

Glancing back at my friends, Ruby looked like she was about to explode from sheer excitement, and Weiss was still scribbling down in her notebook. Though she did look even more intrigued by the results, Yang looked impressed, and I guess she would eventually want to have a go at me in the future, and Blake was nodding her head with interest. I guess it's because of how similar my semblance reacts with Dust like hers in a way.

As for JNR, Jaune had an analytic look with his arms folded. I guess he's thinking of how powerful my semblance could be and what could be the other effects I would gain from different types of Dust. I guess. Ren… I honestly couldn't tell what he was thinking, but if I were to guess, he'd be impressed. And as for Nora…

Nora is Nora. She's energetic about anything and everything. And without any hesitation, she appeared in front of my face holding a vial holding electric Dust. "Moving on! Try this one next, Zacky!" She gleefully smiled while I glanced at my friends, and the majority showed no objection except Weiss, who looked uncertain and was about to object, but I unintentionally cut her off.

"Well, if the majority gives the go, then there should be no issues with it. Though…" I grab the vial before glancing at Weiss for a moment. "You guys should probably keep your distance just in case and be on guard if anything happens to me. I hope nothing bad happens."

Understanding my request, everyone took several steps back as I opened the vial and began absorbing it. Strangely enough, nothing happened. At first, at least. The only reaction I got from absorbing electric Dust was when I felt every muscle in my body tense up as my aura glowed before purple electricity began crackling off me as electricity jumped off me. It also made me drop the empty vial in the process as well.

I'm sure this must be how Nora feels whenever she's charged up, and I could hear my friends gasping and some even calling out to me in worry. However, the feeling I'm getting is both exhilarating and terrifying.

Exhilarating because I could feel so much power coursing through me, and I felt so powerful that I could take on the world! And terrifying because I knew if I were to mess up, the energy within would shred me to bits! It doesn't help that my nerves are screaming at me to do something, for it feels like hundreds of thousands of needles are simultaneously stabbing me all over my body!

I… I need to expel it quickly! It's going to tear me apart at this rate!

I found myself struggling to stand with a moaning filled with agony coming out of my lips. But for a split second, I swore I saw Nora reaching out to me, only for Ren to stop her from interrupting.

It's now or nothing! Maintain peace of mind and guide it to the target!

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"Zack!" Ruby, among others, cried out to their fox Faunus friend, who moaned in pain before it escalated into screaming. His teeth clenched hard, his eyes glowing neon violet, while his hair started sticking up from static electricity.

"Don't get close to him! You'll get shocked!" Weiss ordered out worriedly. Why didn't she stop him? Was it because she was curious about his semblance, or was it peer pressure that she didn't act? Whatever the case, he's suffering because of it. She could only hope that her friend had a way to expel all that energy inside his body.

With his eyes closed, Zack stomps into a position they hadn't seen before with his legs far apart before he began to make circular motions with his arms with only his middle and index finger out. And whatever he was doing seemed to be working, as violet lightning began to crackle and concentrate within his fingertips before he readied them near his face.

Zack then yells as he opens his eyes, and with all his might, he points his fingers directly at the remaining blocks of ice. And with the sound of crackling electricity, fox Faunus unleashed a blast of violet lightning that precisely hit its target with an explosion before he collapsed onto the ground with smoke coming out of his fingertips.

"Zack!" Everyone cried out as they rushed towards their friend, while Nora looked guilty at what she had done. Sure, it was incredible what he did, but even she had forgotten that his semblance was not like hers, which made her somewhat immune from low levels of electricity.

"Did I mess up? Asking Zacky to do that?" Nora vocally wondered with guilt before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Oh, Renny is still here.

"Everyone knew the risks, Nora. It's just that none of us expects this kind of reaction." Ren explained before he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Perhaps apologising to him later would help?" He then suggested a small smile grow on Nora's face.

"Yeah, thanks. I needed that."

"Jaune! Use your semblance now!" Weiss started shouting as the leader of JNR nodded his head before he rushed in and laid his hand on Zack's chest. A soft glow of yellow emerged from Jaune's hands, and within seconds, Zack let out an exhausted groan as his eyes slowly flicked open.

"Nnngh… What… What happened?"

The fox Faunus asked while everyone cried out as they asked about his well-being simultaneously, but none answered his question except for the ex-heiress.

"You passed out after letting all that electricity out of you," Weiss responded disgruntled at his state, while Zack simply gave a weak chuckle before falling into a coughing fit. "I… We should have seen this coming…" She then sighed as everyone agreed sombrely.

"The entire experience was exhilarating and terrifying…" The fox Faunus said, as he tried to sit up, but Yang and Weiss held him down.

"Oh no, you don't! You're not standing up just yet. You're messed up badly after that." Yang explained, and Weiss agreed with a nod.

"I concur. Stay still and let Jaune amplify your aura." Yet all that did was make the fox Faunus pout in response.

"I'm not a child, I'm older than all of you, and you all know it!"

"He has a point!" Nora jumps in literally with a finger up. "Zacky's older than all of us combined!"

"Hey! I may be old because of Oz, but not that old, Nora!" Zack replied indignantly as his right eye twitched, and everyone laughed before he sighed. "As I said earlier… It was exhilarating because I felt so powerful. But simultaneously, I was terrified to the bone because it made me feel like all that power would rip me to shreds from the inside…" Zack explained as everyone remembered the pained screaming they heard from him.

"We can tell. You were screaming the whole time." Blake pointed out. She'd never seen a semblance this… versatile yet detrimental to its user depending on what kind of Dust they use. Then again, according to Zack, this semblance of his was hereditary, just like Weiss's Glyphs.

"Yeah, my nerves were flaring with pain the whole way. I'm just glad I managed to release them in a blast before they fried my insides."

"Yeah, release them, you did." Weiss observed as she glanced at the charred crater where the ice blocks were before looking back. "All there is left is a charred crater. I swear we'll get kicked out of this place because of you."

Weiss shook her head at the mess left behind as Jaune took over the conversation while continuing to amplify Zack's aura. "And what move did you do just now? You looked as if you were trying to direct it."

"I had to," Zack responds firmly while staring at the sky. "The energy generated from electric Dust can't be controlled, only guided to where I want it to go. And as for that move I just did, it is something considered only fiction in my world. I hadn't expected it to work, but I'm glad it did."

A period of sincere silence overtook everyone as Zack slowly pushed himself up once Jaune was done amping his aura. However, the silence did not last long when Zack suddenly yelled out.

"Also, we are NEVER doing that again! Because that was too dangerous! Perhaps as a last resort of something." Zack calms down and mutters before trying to get to his feet.

"I think that's all for now, Weiss. We can continue tomorrow. I feel drained."

"Good, at least you know when to stop." Weiss audibly huffed as the fox Faunus lost strength in his legs and face-planted himself on the ground. Blinks went around before Nora snorted and began laughing as the others joined in.

"Hey! Can someone help me get back into my room? My body is still numb from earlier!"

"Coming!" Yang giggled as she and Jaune ran over and helped escort their friend back into his room to rest, while the rest figured that it was time they should spar against one another since they were out on the patio already.

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Zack's POV

An hour had passed since Yang and Jaune dragged my sorry ass back into my room and onto my bed. And it has been thirty minutes since Oz began lecturing me about my recklessness in absorbing that much electric Dust into my body. Yeah, turns out having electric Dust coursing through your veins earlier is one way to give Ozpin a wake-up call.

It's just that he chose not to say anything until we were alone.

And he is pissed.

Because of that, Ozpin gave me a thirty-minute-long lecture about not doing what I just did earlier and an alternative of what I could have done to see my Semblance's potential without putting myself at risk. He also wants to see the report Weiss wrote in her notebook as well, since she's helping me by supplying Dust.

And once Oz was done lecturing me like a parent, he changed the topic to focus on my well-being. I appreciate it, Ozpin. But reading my memories and bluntly telling me that I'm ignoring the problem entirely is annoying. I'll recover from this pain eventually. I just want to not think about it one day since Blake's parents and Sun and Ilia would visit us in the afternoon.

Understanding me, Ozpin chose to leave it alone for now while I brushed my tail. Getting shocked earlier made my tail a mess, and I needed time to brush the dust off it and make it look presentable. But as I was brushing my tail in peace, it was interrupted when I heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Huh. That's Nora's footsteps. What does she want?" I wondered before the door opened up as Nora zipped in and began giving rapid apologies, much to my utter surprise. Oh, right… She was the one who asked me to try out Electric Dust with my semblance. Nora must have felt guilty for nearly getting me hurt and knocking me out temporarily.

I'm just glad that I'm not dead.

"It's okay, Nora. I'm still alive, right?" I gave my fellow friend a comforting smile. "I'm also at fault here for not taking precautions or even realising that something wasn't right when I took in all of the electric Dust in the vial you've given me." I began explaining while Nora's eyes were slightly puffy from tears over dramatizing the situation.

Though they were rather comical in a way coming from her. "Really?" Nora then asked while still surprised as I simply nodded at her.

"Yup. I've forgiven you already. And besides, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known the risks of using electric Dust with my semblance. Can you imagine if I were to use one mid-battle? I would have likely collapsed from it or something." I pointed out, as I could tell it clicked in her head.

Good! Hopefully, we can put this behind us.

"Ooh! That's a good point!" Awkward silence overtook us both before Nora chose to continue. "Soo… we good?"

"Yeah. We are good."

"Yay!" My friend cheered rather loudly before grabbing me into a hug, which I reciprocated.

And what started as an apology from Nora became a chat shared between us and became something else as she shared the wildest stories I've ever heard and her adventures riding Ursas. Which I still find absolutely insane, but she did it somehow while remaining unharmed. Nora even suggests that both of us should have a private adventure together riding Ursas since we got two weeks to spend until we have to leave for Argus.

I didn't give her an answer. I mean, what am I supposed to say?! I don't want to reject her offer and make her upset! Anyway, I then took the time to share my own stories with Nora, and also where I got the idea of that motion I used to unleash a blast of lightning earlier.

And thus, I began telling the story of a boy found in an iceberg by two siblings from the Water Tribe to save the world from the Fire Nation. It took a while for Nora to get the hang of this fantasy world, as I told her some essential details of this world.

A place inhabited by humans, fantastical animals, and spirits. Which Human civilisation is divided into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Each nation has its own natural element on which it bases its society, and within each nation exist people known as "benders" who have the innate power and ability to control and manipulate the eponymous element of their nation.

And to my amusement, Nora just concluded that bending is like hereditary semblances on Remnant. She isn't wrong to say that, though. Then I explained to her how only the avatar can bend all four elements and manages the balance and peace of the four nations. And I also told her how when the current Avatar dies, they will reincarnate into a new one in the next nation.

Actually, I can't believe it just hit me, but Oz's reincarnation upon death is somewhat similar to the avatar's reincarnation cycle. Somewhat. Except he finds himself in a new like-minded host instead of a new body clean of memories.

The funny thing was that Nora and I didn't realise the passage of time as hours had passed and that everyone else was outside the door listening in as I told Nora the tale of Aang. I should have heard their footsteps or heartbeats, but I was so engrossed in telling Nora of Aang's journey with his friends when they arrived on Kyoshi island and their encounter with Kyoshi Warriors.

An order of female warriors was named after Avatar Kyoshi, who founded them to protect her homeland, and these elite warriors fought to ensure the safety of their people.

Overall, the only time both of us were aware that everyone else was outside was when the door hinges gave out, and everyone let out yelps as they toppled over each other and a messy pile of bodies. It was so awkward that Nora and I could only glance at each other as every one of my friends scrambled back onto their feet.

"You're all gonna need to fix that." I said first before Nora spoke next enthusiastically.

"Hey guys! Zacky was telling me a story from his world!"

"We're aware." Blake said as she dusted herself."

"But an entire order of warrior women? That's so cool!" Ruby had stars in her eyes before I spoke again. While I was annoyed that they chose to listen in without my permission or even let us know they were done with their spars, I couldn't be mad at them. They are my friends, after all, and they just need to ask me, and I'll tell them about it.

"How long were you guys listening in?" I then asked before every one of my friends had sheepish looks on their faces as Ren answered honestly.

"Around thirty minutes. We're wondering why Nora took a while to come back to us, and we figured you two were still talking. But we heard you telling Nora a story when we got there." Ren explained.

Weiss then let out an audible huff as she spoke next. "It was then that Yang decided to eavesdrop on your story, and I tried to dissuade everyone from doing it." That earned a hey from Yang before Jaune spoke in a teasing tone for some reason.

"But didn't you snoop in when the story earned your interest? Or was it because of peer pressure?"

What quickly followed was an angry sputtering of denial coming from Weiss as everyone, including I, chuckled at her reaction. "There's no need to deny it, Weiss. If you guys want to, I can tell you about it as well." I offered a small smile.

"That's great! It was getting interesting with the angry fire prince, and perhaps you can-"

*Growl*

Even before Ruby could finish what she was saying, my stomach chose the worst time to let out a growl as my cheeks grew red. Not again… As if to make it even more embarrassing for me, everyone began giggling at my expense, while I instinctively brought my tail up to cover my face from shame.

"Aww… little foxy's hungry…" Yang gave a teasing coo as the laughing grew even louder now.

"Perhaps we should feed him?" Weiss, of all people, chose to coo at me. I swear she had a sly grin on her face while saying it.

"S-Shut upp!!" I cried out while burying my face into my tail as my cheeks were glowing red. Seconds passed before I managed to calm down and bring my tail down. "Since we're all here, how about we go out and have lunch together?" I then suggested, hoping to change the topic away from me.

And it works!

"Great idea Zacky!" Nora gave her iconic grin before Jaune spoke and made a good point.

"Can you even walk after earlier? You kinda face-planted when tried just now."

A slight hint of red grew on my cheeks upon remembering that scene as another round of giggles went by. "I'll be fine. I feel much better after resting here for hours, and I do have this to help." I said before pulling out my cane- I mean Ozpin's cane.

God, that is getting frustrating that I'm seeing Long Memory as mine instead of his.

Regardless, I took it out and, with a squeeze, Long Memory extended out before I used it to support myself. "See, no face-planting involved." I point out before asking the obvious question. "Soo… whatcha feel like having guys? Or do you all want to walk around first before we decide?"

"I was thinking of ramen…" I heard Blake muttering to herself. Ah, how could I forget that Blake sometimes acts like a cat with her love of fish. Then again, I found myself in the past month, plus snacking on fruits and meats more often than I should have back on Earth than on carbohydrates and sugars, plus that one-time Ruby, Weiss and Yang caught me curled up like a fox when I was asleep.

It must be one of those animal instincts of ours that we Faunus have. Thank god we don't have things like mating cycles or going into heat or rut. That would really make things awkward, and I'm thankful the sisters didn't make it so that we possessed this trait.

"Been a while since we had burgers, guys. How about it?" Yang then suggests, though Weiss vocally opposes it.

"Seriously? You want to eat those unhealthy greasy burgers again?" I watched as Weiss raised an annoyed eye raise. "I vote for something much healthier than that fat-filled mess of a food." You know, I really feel the urge to eat something Western, like burgers. But at the same time, I kinda agree with Weiss.

Something healthier does sound nice.

Ah, the food dilemma on what to have for lunch. Never thought I would go through with it again in Remnant.

"How about we walk around and then figure it out from there?" I suggest to sooth any potential argument that I can see brewing between Yang and Weiss over food was about to get heated.

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Sure, better than waiting here."

"I agree."

"Yeah! Team outing time!"

Ah, good to see that Ruby, Blake, Ren and Nora agreed with me. Either that or they don't wish for a fight to happen. With a small laugh coming out from my lips, I continued. "Well then, we should leave now. Though one of you should probably fix the door when we return."

I pointed Ozpin's cane at the door, and that immediately got an awkward laugh from Ruby. "Don't worry. We'll fix it when we come back. Right guys?" I see Yang awkwardly chuckling to herself with her hand on her chin while Jaune has his behind his back.

…

"You guys have no idea how to fix doors, do you?"

"Yeah…"

With a visible roll of my eyes, I walked past everyone. "Come on then! What are you guys waiting for? Come on. We'll take care of this once we return, and after I speak with Blake's parents." I signalled as we left the house.

"I wonder if they hand any Dim Sum here in Mistral… Man, do I miss having Red Star Dim Sum with my family…"

"I can see why you miss them." I then heard Ozpin's amused response. "Besides that, I must find the entertainment of your world fascinating. This Avatar the Last Airbender is a kid's show in your world?"

"Yea it is. Why?"

"I've finished watching book one from your memories." Ozpin blatantly admits as I nearly trip down the stairs from surprise. "Watch your step."

"Well, thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was one of my favourite shows in my childhood. And I think the others are also interested, judging from them listening to me behind the doors."

"Yes, that is the case."