Unexpected Incarnate (RWBY Ozpin Incarnate SI)

Zack POV

It had been hours since Yang triggered my glorious prank on her, and both Qrow and I were already in the forest, heading towards this shrine AWOR wished for me to find. Another thing was that the journey on foot would take a day to reach, according to Qrow. Speaking of which, the old man was wondering what I did to make Yang that pissed.

Is she going to kick my ass when I get back? That's probably a yes. Was it worth it to get back at her? That's definitely worth it! That will teach a lesson for touching my tail like that!

As for Qrow's question, let us say I used every resource we had in our house on Yang. I might have gone a little overboard with the vinegar bombs. That and the combination of whipped cream, peanut butter and confetti made for one hell of a trap for Yang.

"Still thinking of what you did to Miss Xiao Long?" Ozpin's voice resonated in my head as we continued walking through the forest. I think it's going to get dark soon with the sun setting.

"About how far my prank went? Yea, I can for sure say that Yang will remember that for a while." I let out a silent chuckle as I pulled out my scroll to look at the time. Huh. Is it 17:26 already? Then again, Qrow and I had our lunch on the move since neither of us wished to waste time.

Last I remember, I usually couldn't walk for hours without a break in-between. Sitting on one's ass doing office work all day tends to weaken your stamina, I suppose. But I guess I have to thank my Aura and Oz's brutal training for giving me the energy to keep going. It is still something I have to get used to.

"Judging from earlier, I'm sure she'll remember that for a while. I, however, still disapproved of how unnecessary it was." Ozpin pointed out as I rolled my eyes and smiled at his words. Although I'm his host, Oz still gives a damn about me. It feels nice if I were to be honest with myself right now.

"Hey, kid," Qrow's voice echoed behind me as I snapped out of my conversation with Oz before turning to face him. "Sun's coming down. Best we make a campsite somewhere."

Listening to Qrow's suggestion, I nodded my head with a thumbs up. "Sure thing Qrow. It is seventeen- twenty-six right now, and probably wise to do it, so where are we setting up? I don't hear any rivers near us." I asked as my tail swayed like leaves. While it has been a while, we usually want a camp near a water source.

That and the map we had shown that there's no water source nearby us. But that didn't seem to worry Qrow. Instead, he just chuckled with a grin, much to my confusion.

"Kid, you got much to learn; now keep up with me. We'll get to a river by nightfall." Qrow said as he suddenly broke into full speed, leaving me in the dirt.

"Wha?" My eyes blinked for a second before I realised what had happened. "Wait a minute! Wait up!" I yelled as I chased after Qrow, who I could barely see in the dense forest. Damn, just how fast is he going?

"Zack, do regulate your breathing while using your Aura. I know that you can catch up with Mr Branwen eventually." Oz advised in my head as I jumped over a fallen log, my legs glowing while slightly aching from how fast I had to run to keep up, even then, it was just barely. Easy for you to say that, Oz! You're not the one with several kilograms on your back!

"Qrow! Do you have any idea how difficult to run with all this camping equipment I'm carrying right now?!" I called out to the old man right in front of me by a few meters. But instead of slowing down, Qrow laughed at my complaint and sped up in response, much to my exasperation.

"Well, you better hurry up then, kid! I ain't waiting for you!"

As I chased after Qrow for hours, or was it minutes? I can't tell to be honest, while trying my best to catch up to Qrow. I had to ask Ozpin for something, which has been bothering me for some time. "Yo Oz," I called out to the resident headmaster residing in my head, "Is it okay if I reveal my origins to Qrow once we set up camp for the night?"

I could feel Ozpin giving me a perplexed look as he spoke. "Is there a particular reason to do so, Arakan?" Oz responded to me. "If I may ask, why do you intend to reveal your origins to Mr Branwen? This might cause more trouble than it's worth in the future. And I believe you know it."

Hearing Ozpin's response made me sigh inside as I slid under a log before using my grapple hook to swing myself back onto my feet. "Frankly, it has been bothering me since you found yourself in me. How can I use my knowledge to help everyone? I soon realised that hiding them would cause problems and unnecessary tension." I paused for a second while, still trying to catch up to Qrow.

"And I want to come clean with those I can trust. I know you have been through many betrayals throughout your many incarnations, which is justifiable why you hide the truth. And… I know it hurts, too, that Leon had sold us out. Like others before you…." I softly said as Ozpin remained silent.

"I assume you will do the same for everyone else later?"

"Yea. One by one, I'll tell them all eventually. But… I fear that I would overwhelm them if I were to tell all of them after we retrieved the relic." I admitted. It does feel nice to express my worries to someone.

"If I may ask," Oz spoke up after a period of silence except for the sound of me panting my lungs out. "What are you planning to do with the Relic of Knowledge?"

"I'll tell you another time, Oz. I need to focus right now. It feels like my lungs will give out any second now."

"Very well, I'll hold on to your word then, Zack." And with that, I could feel Ozpin leaving my thoughts as I continued my chase after Qrow, who barely looked winded at all! What the hell, man!

An hour later…

After running for a straight hour, I was lying against a nearby tree chugging all the water in the canteen I had with me while the skies had turned dark. Qrow was by a campfire he'd set up just now, and it was by a river. Just in case his bad luck semblance decided to kick in and set this place on fire or something.

Yet, he was staring into it while I recuperated from chasing after him earlier. But man, are my legs going to kill me the following day. So, pushing myself back onto my feet, I slowly shuffled my way and sat opposite Qrow with two sandwiches in my hand. After making myself comfortable, I spoke up loudly enough for Qrow to hear me.

"Qrow. Catch." I said as I tossed a sandwich in a plastic wrap at Qrow, who caught it without looking. Sweet catch, bro. "Here's dinner. I know it ain't much, but it should keep our bellies filled." I said as I unwrapped the plastic wrapping and dug into my dinner.

Qrow stared at the sandwich I passed to him as he looked at me. "You do know you don't have to give me one, right, kid?" Qrow questioned as I swallowed my bite.

"Yea, I know you can fend for yourself, But I did this out of my choice," I said as I pointed at the sandwich in his hand. "It's chicken lettuce with egg mayo. You should try it." In my attempts to make Qrow comfortable, I offered him a small smile before digging in at my meal again as Qrow chuckled.

"Sure thing, kid. Thanks." I nod as both of us enjoy the night by a campfire. If I were to describe the feeling, it was peaceful and wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But, of course, it does help that it was relatively warm at night and not to the point of freezing, thanks to the campfire near both of us.

"I assume later you will tell Qrow about it?" I heard Ozpin asking me as I took another bite.

"Yea. After dinner."

"Understood." Oz hummed in my head as a beat went by. "I can tell you're concerned about it." Huh, I suppose it makes sense that he could tell how I felt about what we would find.

"Yea… I can't escape this feeling that we will only get more questions than answers tomorrow when we search and find the shrine." I closed my eyes while listening to the campfire crackling in the night.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ozpin said. His voice was full of assurance. "Whatever we would find there, know that Qrow and I will be with you. We'll figure it out together." That got a silent chuckle out of me.

And then there are moments like this that made me enjoy Ozpin's presence. While I'm used to his presence in the back of my mind, it got to the point that I could roughly guess what Oz's feeling at the moment since yesterday, with the guilt of his death causing everything. With his help yesterday, I could successfully tell whether he was lying or not through his emotions to a certain extent.

In this case, he is genuine about his and Qrow being by my side. Figuratively and literally, in fact.

"Thanks, Oz. I appreciate it." I thanked him, and a small smile crept onto my face as I resumed eating dinner.

After dinner, I took the remaining night to explain to Qrow who I am and how I possess knowledge of the future. At least, the future I last saw from Earth. Qrow was understandably sceptical about 'I am from another world, and I know a possible future' kind of thing and rightfully believed I was messing with him. But Ozpin supported my claims, and Qrow relented and accepted my claims with doubt on the tongue for now.

I then moved on to Leon.

More accurately, I explained how Leon sold Ozpin out because she threatened to kill him or worse if he didn't cooperate. Because of this, he has given Salem all the information they need to hunt down every Huntsman in Mistral systematically.

While I expected them to be upset about Leon's choice, Qrow is furious about his betrayal. Not that I blamed him. It took Ozpin's intervention to calm him down, and we devised a new plan. When we return, Qrow will become my tteacher,since we have no one but ourselves to rely on.

I must admit, I am personally excited about getting personal training from Qrow Branwen himself! Though, the main reason is that his training would be less harsh compared to Ozpin's. In the end, our conversation ended positively. Now, all we needed to do was find this shrine tomorrow and hopefully get some answers.

I hope things wouldn't be as bad as they should be…

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The following day, Zack and Qrow continued on their journey as hours passed by swiftly. As they soon find themselves among ancient ruins of some bygone civilisation. All are covered extensively by plant life. Exploring the region, Zack could only mutter to himself as he looked back at the map in his hands.

"This doesn't make any sense… was this always here? If so, why didn't anyone discover this?"

Qrow's hand then rested on Zack's shoulder as he looked up. "Kid, even if it doesn't. This is the place. We just got to keep looking." Zack just nodded at Qrow as both of them began to search the place for any signs of clues.

"I swear… everything here reminds me of the old Greco-Roman ruins on Earth, which were over four thousand years old," Zack spoke up. "But didn't the brothers obliterate everything when they chose to reset the whole world?"

"You are correct. Most ruins now of days are based on Mistrian culture, but these resemble those of the ancient past." Ozpin wondered as Zack pulled Oathkeeper and began slicing through various leaves and vines until he came across a campsite with a skeleton with withered clothes and a book.

"Whoa… What the hell happened over here?" Zack muttered before he raised his voice and called out. "Qrow! I found something over here!"

"Found something over there, kid?" Qrow asks back as Zack slowly approaches the skeleton.

"Yea! Found an old campsite with a skeleton over here! And it has a book in its hand!"

"Really?" Zack heard Qrow say out before he was suddenly next to Ozpin's next incarnate, giving him a good startle.

Zack did a small hop away as he brandished Oathkeeper. "Whoa! Where did you come from?!" He asked with alarm while Qrow just chuckled at his overreaction.

"Got you." Qrow continued chuckling as he got close to the skeleton and knelt to study it intently.

"Buddy here been dead for years at this point. The same goes for the rest. Most equipment must be either stolen or destroyed from time." Qrow muttered as he picked up the book and wiped the dust off it. "Huh… a dairy."

"Perhaps we should open it and take a peek? It might give us clues as to where to look." Zack peeked in behind Qrow's shoulder as he slowly opened the book. And while most of the pages were damaged from weather attrition, they found a petunia flower between two pages. The flower in the book had several shades of purple and splotches of white in the petals, making the flower resemble the night sky. But that brought up more questions.

"What?" Qrow muttered with surprise as Zack reached in and grabbed the flower out of the book with one question in mind.

"How is this flower still in perfect condition after all these years?" Zack wondered as an idea stuck in his head. "Qrow, can you skim through the pages? Perhaps we can find something of relevance?

Agreeing with Ozpin's incarnate, Qrow looked through the ruined pages only to find a sentence that greatly confused them.

"The Brothers are nothing but false Gods in this world! Only through the Primordial Gods of Remnant will we find salvation in this cursed world!"​

The sentence read while the rest of the page was unintelligible. Zack glanced at Qrow before going back to the book. "Crazy cultist guy?" Zack mutters as he tilts his head to the side.

"Yea. Probably." Qrow steadily agreed as Zack sat on the rotten log with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Got any ideas about what that meant, Oz?" Zack asked the wizard in his head.

"Primordial gods… As if he is saying that before the Brothers, there was another."

"Then the question becomes what happens to those gods before the Brothers. Or whether this guy's talking sense and not just insane ramblings." Zack muttered as Qrow gave him a quizzed look. Then, glancing at Qrow, Zack spoke. "Oz speculates that there could be other gods before the Brothers."

"Don't know about that kid." Qrow continued flipping through the pages until he came across another sentence and read it out.

"I am the end of my life. I've searched for the truth for years. The answer lies closer than you think. Only those with their mark may reveal the truth. I do not. I am not worthy of the truth."​

"Only those with their mark may reveal the truth? Could this person be referring to AWOR?" Zack rubbed his forehead before another thought struck his head. "And could it be that I bear its mark?"

"Makes sense if you were to think about it." Qrow shrugged. "The fact that you could see a fox while Oz could not mean something, Zack." Qrow closed the diary as he kept it in his back pocket.

"But the main question is what to look for…." Ozpin muttered in Zack's head. While he is not one for mysteries, this case made Ozpin question the Brothers. If what this person is saying is the truth, that means before the brothers created the first humanity, some other deity laid claim to this world before they showed up. What happened to those 'Primordial gods' then?

Both men sat by as they tried their best to work out what could allow them to find the shrine when there was a sudden shuffling in the forest which Zack sensed thanks to his Faunus sensory. Zack's head shot up like a bullet before turning towards where the sound was coming from. "Someone or something's coming,"

Zack muttered as he drew out Oathkeeper while Qrow took out Harbinger on his back. Silence permeated the abandoned camp as Zack and Qrow waited patiently, only for the same fox Zack had seen to appear with a bark.

"Its… you…" Zack muttered with surprise as he slacked his guard down, except for Qrow, who looked baffled. Qrow couldn't see this fox but could hear it, no problem. "I guess you're here to bring me to it?" Zack asks as he knelt down and slowly pat it.

"Kid, either I'm drunk or going mad. Because there's no way I just heard a fox bark or that you're patting the air right now." Qrow stated as Zack's eyes widened at the current issue.

"You can't see it as well?" Zack muttered as the fox climbed up his arms and onto his shoulder. "Huh. I guess this means that only I could see it. That doesn't explain why you could hear it, though…." Zack wondered as he scratched his chin confused

"Where is it?" Qrow asked as he sheathed Harbinger onto his back and took a swig of his drink. Honestly, an invisible fox? Oz wasn't kidding about the kid only being able to see the baby fox.

"The little guy's on my shoulder now," Zack explained as the fox barked again. "Now that I think about it, perhaps people like me who bears AWOR's mark may be able to see the little guy. That might explain everything. I think." Zack frowned before shaking that theory off his head.

It doesn't matter now. Zack can get the answers he, Oz and Qrow were looking for.

Hopefully.

"Well then, little guy, care to lead us to it?" Zack asked the little fox on its shoulder as it gave the nod and a bark. The fox then leapt off his shoulder and ran east of their current direction.

"Follow me. The little guy headed that way." Zack says as he chases after it, while Qrow takes another swig and follows.

The little fox took Zack and Qrow to a ravine not too far away with a cave on one of the steep edges. The little fox stopped before it and stared at the opening as Zack and Qrow caught up with it. "It's… in there?" Qrow muttered as he took the time to observe the surrounding area.

There were a few overgrown trees and some rocks, but either than that, it looked unremarkable for a ravine. Knowing what to do, Zack opened his bag and took out a dust-powered lantern he had brought.

"Do you want to follow me in, Qrow?" Zack asked as he slowly walked towards the entrance of the cave. "I'm not forcing you. If you wish to stay out here, you could."

Qrow thought for a second but chose to follow. After all, he is the kid's bodyguard. What kind of person would he be if he didn't watch over him? "Eh, I'll follow you, kiddo. Everyone would kill me if something were to happen to you." Qrow explained as Zack chuckled.

"Sure thing. Let us get going." Zack said as the fox on his shoulder walked into the cave.

And so, both of them made their way into the cave. It smelled damp, with the constant sound of liquid dripping down from the ceiling spikes. As they pushed in deeper, many large crystals in various colours littered all over the inner caves, yet it was clear what they were.

Dust.

Pure Dust crystals are all over the place, unrefined, and can be harvested with the right equipment. But something was off about them. They seem more stable. At least, that's according to Ozpin, whose guard was up the whole time. Pushing onwards without looking back, they found it. Right in front of them were inscriptions on a stone wall. And on it were numerous inscriptions and runes. All were faintly glowing teal as Zack held up the lantern, which cast light for him to have a better look at them.

"What do you think this is, Qrow?" Zack asked as he stared at an inscription of a woman extending her hand to another slightly shorter woman.

"I ain't got a clue," Qrow admitted as he watched as Zack passed by another inscription that portrayed the same woman extending her hand out to a group of people, all bowing to her as if she were some deity.

"Oz? Any ideas?" Zack internally asked.

"Keep going. I believe this is the place." That was all Ozpin said as Zack slowly nodded his head. This place gave him the creeps, as if someone else was watching him. But then, as if to make it more transparent, the little fox was nowhere in sight.

Keeping his eyes and ears open, Zack continued walking forward while observing all the inscriptions on the stone wall. However, he can't make heads or tails with them, as they portray different things. From what he could guess, one of them represented those same people becoming cultists or some shit like that.

After five minutes of constant walking, Zack and Qrow came across a statue of that exact woman figure with robes over her. Her hands seemingly opened up invitingly with burned-out candles at the base of the stature. It was also covered in vines and leaves, which was strange since they were in a cavern without sunlight.

"Think this is the shrine, Qrow?" Zack asked for Qrow's honest opinion about the statue in front of them.

"Could be kiddo. But keep your guard up. Something about this place is wrong…"

"Zack, this might sound strange to you, but that statue must be where you will receive your 'blessing'," Ozpin explained through his voice full of caution. "I'm sensing magic from it. But… it's more primal, if that makes any sense."

"That does not say much, Oz. But thanks for the caution." Zack thanked Ozpin as he walked slowly towards the stature step by step. And as he made his way towards the statue, Zack extended his hand out to i at a snail's pace. Qrow, who was watching the fox Faunus, noticed what Zack was going to do before he quickly intervened by holding his hand.

"You sure you want to do that, kid?"

Qrow asked sternly as Zack looked uncertain as he landed his eyes on the statue again. Only this time, he could hear voices in his head. They urged him to touch it and embrace her blessings. With bated breath, the fox Faunus confirmed.

"Yea. Cover me if something were to happen. Preferably, getting both of us to safety."

"Right. Hope you know what you're doing, kid."

"I hope so as well," Zack muttered to himself as Qrow let go of his hand.

Now free from interruption, Zack slowly extended his hand towards the statue. Only to pause within an inch away from touching it. For a moment, second thoughts about the whole thing brewed and festered in his mind. Was what he's doing right now would help him in the future? Or was he dancing to the thread of another supernatural being?

He could only wonder as the voices in his head got louder and almost to the point of almost becoming unbearable. All of them wished for him to touch it. To embrace the blessing, it will bestow upon him. Glancing to the side, Zack could see Qrow standing by with his guard up. Yet, his eyes revealed that he was suspicious and had doubts about the whole thing.

Even more, Ozpin had been silent despite his calls for his opinion on the matter. As if the voices had cut the wizard off or his voice drowned among the others. Taking in a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. Zack made a decision.

"Well… here goes nothing." And with doubts cleansed from his mind, Zack touched the statue.

However, as soon as his hand touched the statue, it drained a large portion of his Aura before glowing violet, and without any time to react, a ball of light erupted from the stone statue and slammed straight into Zack's chest. As the ball of light knocked him out cold, Zack collapsed onto his back instantly, much to Qrow's shock.

"Shit! Kid! Wake up!" Qrow ran over to Zack's side and knelt. Much to his surprise and horror when he rests his hand on the fox Faunus. His entire body temperature was excruciatingly hot, even more so when his Aura was constantly flicking like a dying light bulb! What the hell just happened?

As if the situation could get any worse, or because of his damn semblance, Beowolves could be heard howling throughout the caves and footsteps moving in close fast. Cursing from how the situation went to shit instantly, Qrow drew Harbinger from his back and got to his stance.

He's not going to let both of them die here anytime soon.

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Zack's POV

I wasn't sure how long time had passed after that ball of light knocked me out. But I knew I was conscious again and awake when I could feel the air rushing into my lungs. My eyes soon snapped open afterwards to see the night sky with a mixture of violet and dark blue stars.

Wait a minute.

That is not what I remembered before I blacked out. And why the ground feel grassy? "I was in a cave, and now I'm in the open area?" I thought to myself as I slowly pushed myself off the ground. And once I did, I took the time to survey the surrounding place, and I soon realised I was on a grassy plain with trees everywhere. Almost as if I were never in the caverns, to begin with. There were also balls of lights of various colours all over the place.

Now. The hundred-dollar question.

"Where the fuck am I?"

As I wonder where I am at the moment, I soon find myself staring at the stars above. There's a sense of solitude in this place, and it feels calming. But what exactly happened to me when that ball of light entered my chest? I could only wonder as I rested my palm on where my heart would be. A sigh soon left my mouth as I glanced at myself to confirm that I still had everything I was carrying a while back.

Or so I thought, as Oathkeeper wasn't with me, nor was the bag with all my supplies! I'm in a place where I have no idea where I am and don't even have a weapon. Just my luck!

Suppressing my frustration with the situation I found myself in, I muttered. "I can't stay here. Got to find an answer as to how or why I'm here." I grumbled as a pink light flew past my face and towards a particular direction behind me.

"Where's that thing going?" I wondered as I turned around to witness what could be described as a vortex made of those balls of energy travelling upwards and through the clouds above. Hundreds, even thousands, were all going somewhere, and I don't know where, but a part of me wanted to follow them.

As I snapped away from my awe at that sight, my eyes scanned around to see more of those balls heading straight for the vortex of balls. Yet, one stopped near my face, as if I'd got its attention. Feeling my personal space invaded, I took a step back and 'tried' to communicate it. Sure, it seems silly, but if one of these balls is willing to stop by me, it means that these things are conscious.

That's the conclusion I made in my head as I slowly spoke. "Uh, hello? Do you know where I am?" I asked as the ball just floated still and did nothing.

…

Okay. This is going nowhere. Perhaps a different question would do it. "You do understand me, right? If yes, bob up and down. If no, go side to side." I gestured my hand, and to my surprise, it worked! The ball of energy began bobbing up and down, and I felt a glimmer of hope to figure out where I was.

Expressing my happiness with a smile, I asked a different question.

"Do you know anyone here who would tell me where I am? I… don't belong here." I explained.

The ball, however, seemed to orbit around me several times before suddenly disappearing into thin air, much to my confusion. "Did it just leave me here? Or did it leave to get help?" I wondered to myself. But before I could come up with an answer as to what I should do next, the ball from earlier reappeared wherever it had disappeared.

But it wasn't alone. Several more appeared somewhere before they all floated underneath and began lifting me off the ground, and they felt incredibly soft, like pillows. And while I hate to admit it, I did flail around a bit from them suddenly carrying me off the ground. It took a second or two before I calmed down and wondered where they were taking me to.

As we flew across the air with my back on those balls, I remembered I'd forgotten about someone who resides in my head. "Ozpin, are you seeing this?" I asked, but all I got was silence in return. He's not there… I don't even feel his presence in my head.

As if… he's gone…

What happened?

As I did my best not to panic at the situation I found myself in, the balls began to bring me closer to the ground and not too far away from my position, and I could see someone covered head to toe in a white cloak gazing at the vortex of balls floating above. It took only seconds for me to figure out who that figure was.

It's the same woman I saw on the inscriptions earlier!

I think.

As we touched the ground, the woman turned her head towards my direction, but I could not see her eyes, and for some reason, I sensed a familiarity in my blood. Which is a strange way to put it, but there was something about her. I just couldn't put my finger on it. But she feels familiar to me…

"Ah, I was wondering when we will meet face to face. Zack Arakan." The woman spoke with such a motherly tone that it made me freeze upon standing up. Of course, I shouldn't have frozen up like this, but it is as if my instinct made me recognise her as my matriarch, which doesn't make any sense!

She is not my mother! She doesn't sound like her!

"I am glad you chose to fulfil my request." The woman gave a motherly smile at me while I remained motionless for a while longer.

"Are you… AWOR by any chance?" I slowly ask her as she nods.

"Yes, I am a child." The robed woman then turned and walked away. "Follow me. I will explain while we are on the way."

"To where?" I asked again as she gave me a smirk beneath her hood before resuming her walk without me. Fine then, be that way, whoever you are. I quickly followed the woman and took the time to answer my curiosities.

"Where is this place? And what are those balls of energy?" I asked as she nodded.

"Welcome to the afterlife where the souls of the dead reside, child. Those balls of energy, as you call them, are the auras of the dead. They are given a choice to reside here and witness their descendants' actions. Or lose their memories, go through the cycle of rebirth, and are reborn into a new body."

Excuse me, WHAT?

I'm in the afterlife?! But, wait, am I dead? No, I doubt that ball of like could kill me. Or did it? Oh, god. But wait. If I'm dead, why am I not like the dead here? They do not have physical bodies from what I could tell, but-oh, she's holding my shoulder without looking at me.

"Calm yourself, child. You are not dead." Oh, that makes me feel better. "I simply dragged your soul into the afterlife when you touched one of my shrines."

Okay! That's not any better, woman!

I must have expressed my outrage outwardly, as AWOR finally turned her head, and I could see her eyes. Each of her iris was glowing in a mixture of green, orange and silver, all in neat circles, while her face was soft and smooth. Her hair was ash-grey, and it extended below her shoulders. And finally, her skin is pale like Weiss's.

But what scared me the most was that when I looked into her eyes, I could feel the overwhelming power within her. It's… sealed currently, but like a smothering ember slowly reigniting. It will burn everything in its path once it's unleashed.

"Just… Who are you…" I could only mutter softly as AWOR just smirked and giggled at my question.

"I'll leave it to you, my little fox. You're smart enough to figure it out." AWOR said affectionately as she walked ahead while I stared at her. She then paused as a frown grew before giving me one last look.

"It appears your body is waking up. Much earlier than expected. How bothersome."

Am I waking up already? But I still have questions for her! But. Even she is annoyed about it. I'm surprised she can't keep my soul here despite residing in the afterlife. That makes me wonder what she is. But before I even had time to question what she was talking about, hands as black as tar erupted from the ground beneath me.

"What the?!" I cried out as they grabbed onto my body and limbs before dragging me as I slowly sunk into the ground itself! And despite my best to struggle myself free against their grip, it was for nought as I was already waist length in the ground. With my limbs held by those hands, I only did what I could do. I still have answers that need answering, for God's sake!

Don't leave me with more! "Wait! Don't leave me with more questions!" I begged as she did not bother to look back at me as I continued sinking into the ground.

Soon I was up to my neck, and for a moment, I saw someone else materialised next to AWOR. Another thing with a feminine figure, from what I could tell in a second. But… She had this purple-black skin with pink hair. Another thing was that the left portion of her body looked shattered as if someone had made a glass statue of a woman and smashed half of it.

Before the darkness claimed me, I could only wonder about one thing that lingered in my head.

"...What happened to you?" Soon, the darkness consumed my body, and so did my thoughts as the hands dragged me into the abyss.

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My eyes shot open with a gasp as I soon found myself staring at a familiar ceiling above. "I'm back…" I thought to myself as I soon felt how dry my throat was. I need some water.

Slowly pushing off my bed, I realised I was alone first of all. Secondly, I had a damp towel over my forehead and wasn't in my Huntsman uniform. I glanced down to see myself in my shirt and shorts, which I wore whenever I did not leave the house for whatever reason. To my right, I could see a cup of water on the table available for me to take it.

But before I could reach it, my right arm began to feel like it was on fire! And with it, unbearable pain washed over me as my body crumbled from the sudden pain while clenching my right arm. I could only hiss with my eyes shut in a desperate attempt to endure the pain!

"Why is this happening the first thing I woke up?!" I screamed internally from the burning pain, and by God, it felt like it lasted for hours before the pain began to numb.

Even then, I wasn't prepared for what I would see when I opened my eyes to check my right arm and why it felt like it was on fire.

And what I saw stunned me.

While my arm mainly looked alright, glowing violet tattoos covered it from the back of my hand all the way to my shoulder! And upon closer inspection, it almost resembles a fox, with the head on the back of my hand and its body wrapping around my fore and upper arm like a spiral.

As for its tail, it was on my shoulder as it travelled to my shoulder plate. It looks so cool despite never having a tattoo in my life before. Thanks to work ethic reasons back on Earth.

"Wow…" I muttered as I marvelled at the tattoos before they lost their violet glow and faded black.

"Is this AWOR's blessing or her mark on me?" I wondered as I extended my tattooed arm before clenching my fist. I soon remembered that I was in the midst of getting water to drink, as I grabbed the cup and drank its contents in go. Okay. I should check with Oz whether he is still there. Which he probably is.

"Oz, are you there?" I mentally asked as I placed the empty cup back on the table.

…

"Hello? Oz?"

…

"Huh… guess he's still sleeping," I muttered as I slowly pushed myself off my bed. Yet, I still wonder what happened after I passed out. Did Qrow save me and bring me to safety? And those voices… I'm glad they ceased. But everything I have witnessed so far brings up more questions than answers.

"And I need answers," I muttered while pushing myself off my bed before I noticed something else was off. "Why does my tail feel different?" I wondered in my head as I stood up and looked at my backside. And I figured out why. For some nonsense that I believe magic was involved, my tail's length now goes down to my ankle! And it became even more, fluffier than before!

How did-?! Is this a side effect of AWOR's mark? Are my Faunus traits enhanced to a degree because of it? How does that work? Magic? Or is my body reacting to the magic Oz sensed from the statue?

What is happening?!

By instinct, I brought my tail forward, which was long enough to cover my face. Also, it feels incredible to hug it. It's like my tail became a huggable bolster pillow attached to me. That also gave me the idea to use it to shut someone up if they bug me. Use my tail and shove it into their faces.

Okay! Okay. I'm getting distracted. I should head down and check on how everyone's doing at the moment. After all, I need to know what happened after I was knocked unconscious and had my soul stolen away for a while.

I never thought I would say that seriously.

While slowly descending the stairs, I could hear Qrow speaking to everyone downstairs. He must be explaining to them what happened earlier.

"And that's the meat of it, kids," Qrow said as I heard Ruby speaking next.

"So that's why Zack was unconscious when we found you fighting Grimm off." Wait. What? Did Ruby find Qrow fighting Grimm? Wasn't she supposed to stay here? Unless… Oh my goodness! I was right, after all! She, and most likely everyone else, went after us even after I told them that Qrow would be by my side!

"What do you think happened to him, uncle?" I heard Yang speak up as I pressed myself against the wall; I wanted to hear Qrow's thoughts on the matter.

"Frankly, I don't know to be honest, Firecracker," Qrow muttered. "We'll probably know once the kid's awake."

Silently chuckling, I stepped away from the wall and leaned against it with my arms folded. "That won't be necessary, Qrow," I said loud enough as everyone turned their heads towards the sound to see me watching them from the corner. Their eyes were wide as plates upon seeing me up and moving again.

"Zack!" Everyone yelled at me as they got to their feet and rushed towards me. Only to pause once I stopped leaning against the wall and gave them a good look at my tattooed arm. Not that I blame them or anything. My arm was perfectly clean before just now.

Ruby was the first to speak. "What happened to your arm?" Ruby asked as I brought my right arm up for everyone to see. Even Qrow, whose eyes narrowed down onto my arm.

"I'm going to be frank with everyone here. I don't know." I admitted with a shrug. "All I know is that 'this' appeared on my arm as soon as I woke up just now," I explained as I walked towards everyone as my now larger and fluffier tail swayed.

"And your tail," Ren muttered. "It wasn't that large earlier." Ren points out as I let out a sigh.

"Yea. I'm not sure why, but as soon as I woke up, my tail seemed to have grown larger and fluffier. Beats me, but I have some speculations as to why." I explained as I watched Nora orbit around me and become engrossed with my now larger tail. A shame that now, with its size, I can't hide it under my jacket.

"Zacky's tail is even fluffier now!" Nora concludes as everyone starts laughing, while I roll my eyes with a smile. Perhaps some time to cool down from it all would be nice. But I still have some questions.

"Alright, everyone. I believe kiddo here has something to say, am I right?" Qrow spoke up as he landed his eyes on me. As for me, I just gave him a thankful smile.

"Yea, I do, Qrow. Found some interesting stuff that I'd need to share with everyone." I said as I signalled to Qrow.

"Care to get me a glass of water? The one you left at the table near my bed wasn't enough." Qrow just let out a grunt as he walked off to the kitchen while I turned my attention to everyone else who was still watching from the side.

"Let us go to the living room, guys." I began walking off to the living room. "We can talk about it there." I signalled them with my fingers.

We soon found ourselves on the couches in the living room. And man, did my tail grow large and fluffy. Thanks to its increased size, I now have to rest it on my lap, a minor inconvenience I will have to deal with. And once we settled down, then the questions came from everyone.

They ranged from what happened and what I saw to trivial questions like how the tattoo on my arm looked cool. It was a lot, but I did my best to address them all before Qrow arrived with a cup for me to drink. Thanking and taking the cup from Qrow, I drank its contents with a relieved sigh.

"Now then," My soft expression became hard. "What was about finding me unconscious and Qrow fighting Grimm off?" I kindly asked, as the others realised I would bust them for disobeying our orders. I watched them with a raised eyebrow as the others began looking at each other nervously, while Qrow could be seen in the corner snickering.

"Well, Zack, uh…" Ruby started scratching her cheek while looking away. The same could be said as everyone, at least, looking sheepish at precisely what they have done.

"I tried to dissuade everyone from going, but Ren and I were the only ones who voted no." Weiss sighed as she glanced at Nora. Ren nodded in agreement as he glanced at Nora. Ah, so Nora's the fire starter. I suspected that Ruby would be the one to suggest it.

A small chuckle escaped my lips as Nora figured out that she had got rooted out by her friends. "Hey!"

Nora's protest made me lose my composure as I laughed loudly at the scene. I suspected that they would follow me eventually due to boredom. Then again, while I don't have much info, I appreciate them coming to save Qrow and me.

"I'm not mad at you all if you're curious." I smiled as all of them were stunned that I wasn't mad at them for going out despite our orders not to do it.

"Really?" Nora popped in front of me as I offered everyone a smile while nodding. But seeing them act like a child who got caught with their hand in a cookie jar is funny to me. Then again, I have to thank Oz as they were known for their 'troublemaking' in Beacon. Much to Glynda's irritation.

I wonder how she is doing at the moment in Vale…

Wait. Why am I thinking of her suddenly?

"Yes, Nora. But seeing everyone acting all sheepish was all worth it." I began chuckling again as, in the corner of my eye, I caught Ruby giving a pout and the others having annoyed expressions on their faces.

"Oi, Kid." All of us turned to Qrow, who looked amused yet impatient at all of us for wasting time. Well, I guess Qrow wants to know what happened after I was knocked unconscious by that ball of light. "As much as I like seeing ya have your moment, we need to get back to the point."

"Oh right," I scratch the back of my head sheepishly for getting distracted during a serious conversation.

Long story short, I had team RNJR, plus Weiss and Yang, explain their journey and how they eventually met up with Qrow. I was understandably surprised that they found us, only because a horde of Beowolves ran past them, and all of them followed them.

Even more so when Qrow explained that as soon as I touched the statue and passed out, he was immediately swarmed by Grimm; if that's the case, it could mean two things. It either might be magic that attracted every Grimm in the vicinity, or Qrow's semblance decided to be an asshole to us.

After they had explained their part of the story, Qrow and I explained what happened after we left and, more importantly, what we discovered in the ruins at our targeted location, even more so when I explained what happened after I passed out.

How I found myself in what is the afterlife where the souls reside, my encounter with AWOR and how I was left with more questions than answers at the end of it. As a thought entered my mind, I rubbed my head as I finished my explanation.

"If AWOR is one of the 'Primordial Gods of Remnant'. That might explain how she runs the afterlife. But that doesn't explain how all accounts never mention her. As if no one knows that she existed in the first place..." I muttered.

"Have you tried asking Professor Ozpin about it?" Jaune asked as I shook my head. As much as I like his thoughts, he is likely resting now. Or is he silenced in my head like earlier?

"If he's awake, I would ask him," I shook my head with disappointment. "But right now, he's resting."

"So, what now?" Yang asked as I glanced at everyone before my eyes landed on Qrow. Both of us subtly nodded at each other as I explained.

"Well… We will just continue what we've been doing all this time. Keep training and await further instructions. Better than doing nothing at all if you were to ask me." I explained before I got smiles and nods in return.

Concluding everything that happened so far, it wasn't bad. But it could be better with, well… Answers to my question and not left with even more questions. But I won't lie. The unknown scares me, knowing that this AWOR marks me without the details except for giving me a tattoo and making my tail larger.

It all worries me. While the Brothers sent me to inhabit this body, why did my instincts recognise AWOR as my matriarch? Why did her mark cause my tail to grow and give me a fox tattoo… Unless… Wait… Oz mentioned that the statue contains a more primal version of magic. What does he mean by that? Could I use magic now or…

Gah! So many questions this day! And yet, today's event answered only a few.

I could only rub my forehead as I felt it throb from overthinking. "Okay… I'm going to give myself a headache if I keep thinking about it." Then, returning to reality, I could see everyone else chatting among themselves as a smile crept upon my face.

At least I won't have to do this alone. I have them and Qrow.

Whatever happens to me in the future. Even if I change for the best or worse, at least I know I have people who will have my back when I need it the most.

And it's time we get back to work.