Breathe Chapter 83: Restful Treats

Sitting at his desk with a steaming cup of cocoa in his hands, Ozpin glanced over the report from Settlers Hill without really taking anything in. He was finding it a little difficult to focus right now, all things considered.

When he’d stepped through Raven’s portal only a few hours earlier, he’d been prepared to see a number of things. One thing, however, that he could never have expected was to see Summer Rose lying in her daughter's grasp with Coal sitting opposite her, exhausted.

It’d been shocking to say the least and it wasn’t just him either. Raven had been fairly disturbed by the whole ordeal, having spent her time watching Summer as if she’d lunge at her the moment she looked away.

He’d quickly put all the pieces together, figuring out what’d happened... How Coal had once more done something that he thought impossible.

From what he heard, Salem had made an appearance too. Fortunately, she’d chosen a fairly isolated spot to reveal herself, far away from prying eyes.

The same couldn’t be said about Ms. Nikos and Ms. Xiao Long’s fight with the Hound as there’d been more than a few videos posted online of their confrontation. So far, it’d been positive, with most trying to figure out who the ‘Buxom Blonde’ was... Their words, not his.

All in all, the entire debacle hadn’t ended too badly. There’d been a number of people injured by the attack, but James was already on that, sending a team of medics to treat the wounded while his soldiers defended the perimeter.

“Ozpin?”

Blinking, he looked up from his desk to see Glynda standing in front of him. “Yes?”

“Are you alright?” Glynda asked. “I’ve been standing here for a minute now and you’ve just been staring at your Scroll.”

“I’ve just been lost in thought with everything that’s happened today.”

“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for us all,” Glynda hummed sympathetically. “I can’t imagine how Taiyang must feel right now... From almost losing Qrow, to suddenly having his ex wife arrive with the wife he thought was dead... How is she?”

“She’s suffering from a number of wounds, atrophied muscles and malnutrition, but she’s alive,” Ozpin answered. “We’ll know more once she wakes up.”

Spending over a decade in Salem’s grasp wouldn’t have done Summer any favours... How she even ended up there, he didn’t know. He’d taken great care to keep his allies from falling into her grasp... Perhaps this was Lionheart’s doing.

Something to help buy his way into Salem’s good grace. Not that it had worked out especially well for him in the long run.

Suddenly getting up from behind his desk, Ozpin extended his cane.

“I think I’ll go for a little walk. Some fresh air might help clear my head.”

“I could take over for you if you like,” Glynda volunteered.

“That’s quite alright,” Ozpin hummed. “I have a handle on things now... But I could use your help with another matter.”

...Breathe...

Waking up to a soft, rhythmic beeping, I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself lying on a bed in a dimly lit room with the early morning light just beginning to shine in through the windows. It was pretty much expected with what I’d done last night.

At least this time, I didn’t stress my body out too much.

Feeling a familiar weight on my chest, I reached up and gently tugged the sheets down, revealing a blonde head of hair that was currently using me as a pillow, a small trail of drool leaking out of the corner of her mouth.

Letting out a disgruntled groan, Yang unconsciously grabbed the sheets and pulled them over her head.

Alright, so that explained the weight on my chest, but not why she was there. It looked like we were in Beacon’s infirmary, but that didn’t exactly explain Yang’s presence... Unless she snuck in.

Looking around, I caught sight of some beds to my side, one of which was currently occupied by Pyrrha who slept on her back. Similarly, there were a number of beds on the other side of the room where the beeping was coming from.

Breathing slowly with an oxygen tube in her nose, Summer Rose slept soundly. There was an IV connected to her arm, along with a number of wires that were connected to several machines that monitored her condition.

Sitting in the chair next to her was Taiyang, who appeared to have fallen asleep while he was watching over her.

The smell of antiseptic coming from her bed was overpowering.

Hearing the sound of something shuffling next to me, a pair of blue goggles lit up as their visor clicked open.

“Finally awake, I see.” Yawning, Maria stretched her arms over her head. “You know, with the amount of rest I lose over you, I don’t know why I even bother trying to sleep at all. I might need to start tagging along again... Make sure you don’t get in too much trouble. None of this stuff seems to happen when I’m around.”

“Didn’t Raven raid our camp back when we were in Mistral... And then there was the time we had to fight Tyrian’s reanimated corpse... What else? Does randomly encountering the Apathy count?” I hummed thoughtfully. “At least it wasn’t anything too serious this time.”

“Serious enough to make you pass out,” Maria pointed out. “But, yeah, you’ve got a point there. I’m more here for Ruby and Yang’s sake. Given everything that happened last night, I figured they could use a little stability.”

Smiling, I laid my head back down on my pillow. “Thanks.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Leaning back in her chair, she kicked her feet up on my bed, letting out a relaxed sigh.

Settling into a comfortable silence, I stared up at the ceiling, listening to the rhythmic beeping that filled the room, before looking back over to Maria. “By the way, where is everyone?”

“Glynda sent them to their dorms along with that dog,” Maria yawned. “Something about not crowding the infirmary. The only ones allowed in right now are members of the staff and family. Winter went to give a report on everything that happened, sending aid to that city, among other things... Apparently the General’s flying a few medical experts in from Atlas.”

That was a relief. “What about Pyrrha? Is she alright?”

“Red?” Maria asked. “Right over there over there... Apparently she took quite the beating last night, although she got off pretty light with a mild concussion and a fever to boot. A little pain medication and some bed rest and she’ll be just fine.”

I guess Ruby decided to go back to the dorms with Weiss and Blake then.

Glancing over at Pyrrha’s direction, I hummed softly. I had a feeling about what was causing that. I’d noticed it last night, but was too busy trying to save Summer to say anything.

Grabbing my pillow, I looked down towards Yang and slowly leveraged it under her head as I slipped out of bed, brushing her hair back, before leaving her to get comfortable with the pillow.

“What’re you up to now?”

“Just checking something,” I replied.

Making my way over to Pyrrha, I leaned down. Palming her face, I gently turned her head to the side, revealing something that looked like a faded bruise in a fiery pattern stretching over her right eye. I was afraid this would happen. The demon slayer mark had finally resonated with someone...

Pyrrha.

“I take it that’s not a bruise then,” Maria muttered.

I shook my head. “No, it’s not.”

Sighing, I brushed a hand through my hair. So far, the mark hadn’t shown any adverse effect on me. It did put a large amount of strain on my body, but my Aura seemed to mitigate the worst of it. The same should be true for others.

The only other thing I could think of that might help was building a stronger body. One capable of withstanding the mark on its own... One that was capable of using the Six Powers.

Hearing a crunch, I immediately looked to the spot right beside Pyrrha’s bed where I found a pair of silver eyes staring at me.

Letting out a soft eep, the figure fumbled around a little, before holding its hand out.

“Cookie?”

“...Sure?” I replied, equally as confused as I took it. “What’re you even doing there?”

“Eating cookies,” Ruby hummed, grabbing another one from her pocket. “Yang and dad wouldn’t let me have any in here so I had to wait for them to fall asleep, although I kinda fell asleep in the process...” She trailed off. “Since you took one, you’re just as liable as me. If I go down, you go down.”

The fact that she was able to come up with that plan in a few short seconds was actually pretty impressive.

“I don’t know,” I murmured, playing along. “It’s just one cookie. Now if there was a glass of milk involved...”

Narrowing her eyes, Ruby reached into her cloak. “Is hot milk okay?” She asked, pulling out a thermos.

“It was just a joke... Ruby, why do you have a thermos of hot milk on you?”

“I, uh... I don’t.” Hurriedly placing them back in her cloak. “Don’t you judge me just because I come prepared!”

A little over prepared if you ask me... But, then again, I did once have a rubber chicken in my Inventory... Not that anyone would ever know.

“Ruby?” Sitting up, Yang rubbed her eyes. “I heard you say something. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Ruby answered stiffly. “We were just, ah...”

“She was just making a deal with lover boy here to not tell you that she’s eating cookies,” Maria answered, grinning at the betrayed look Ruby was sending her. “What? You didn’t offer me a bribe.”

“I didn’t even know you wanted one,” Ruby squawked a little too loud.

Clapping her hands over her mouth, Ruby looked down at Pyrrha, before panning over to her dad. Seeing that they were still asleep, she let out a quick breath.

“Never change, Ruby,” Yang chuckled. “You think I could have one?”

Sitting back down as Ruby darted around Pyrrha's bed, I shot a quick glance towards Taiyang who was visibly smiling in our direction, although his eyes were still shut.

“Hey, Coal...”

“Yes?” I hummed, turning towards Yang.

Shifting closer, she leaned in until our foreheads were touching, before pressing her lips against mine, her eyes still open. It wasn’t a teasing or passionate kiss, but sincere and soft... One that was full of emotion.

Pulling back, she smiled brightly. “Thank you... Now let’s see what cookies we can steal from Ruby.”

“Hey, by accepting these, you’re just as liable as me,” Ruby said. “In fact, since you’re the older sibling, you’re even more–“

“She’s got hot milk too,” Maria interrupted.

“Say what now?” Yang grinned. “Cookies and milk? Really, Ruby?”

Ruby turned to look at Maria, shock and betrayal clearly visible in her eyes. “What did I ever do to you?”

“Well you didn’t offer me a bribe, that’s for damn sure.”

Laughing alongside Yang at that, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and fell into an easy silence. For a moment, everything was quiet until...

“T–Tai... Is that... really...”

Jumping to his feet, Taiyang was immediately at her side. “Yes, it’s me. I’m here.”

Staring up at him with a single, unfocused silver eye, Summer smiled tiredly. “This all... Feels like a dream.”

“I know the feeling,” Taiyang laughed wetly, rubbing his eyes with his forearm. “But if it is, I never want to wake up.”

“Me neither,” Summer hummed. “There were others there, I think... Someone that looked like Yang and Ruby, but older... Are they...”

“They’re here too,” Taiyang answered. “Ruby, Yang...”

Looking like a deer caught in headlights with a cloak full of cookie crumbs, Ruby hopped off the bed, waiting for her sister.

Yang on the other hand... Shooting me a meaningful look, she laced her fingers with mine, before standing, pulling me with her to meet her mom.

Stopping at the foot of her bed, Summer seemed small, her body looked frail and weak, like she was one strong breeze away from breaking something, but her lone eye told a different story. There was relief, fear, excitement and a whole other host of emotions bubbling beneath the surface.

“Mom,” Yang murmured softly.

“Hey there, my sunny little dragon... You’ve gotten so big,” Summer breathed. “I probably can’t call you that anymore... Don’t want to embarrass you in front of all your friends.”

Rubbing her eyes as her tears started overflowing, Yang barked out a laugh. “You could never embarrass me, mom.”

Slowly reaching up, Summer wiped a stray tear from her face. “I’m glad.” Looking a little unfocused, she panned over to Ruby. “And my little silver spark.”

“Who, me?” Ruby asked awkwardly, dusting a few stray crumbs off her cloak. “I, uh... Hi?”

Letting out a short wheezing laugh that worried Taiyang and Yang, Summer smiled. “Just as awkward as I was at that age,” She hummed softly. “Hello, Ruby. I know we’ve been apart for so long... I’ve lost so much... Things that I can never get back, but there’s one thing that remains... My love for you and your sister.”

“I–I...” Pulling her hood over her head, Ruby’s shoulders shook, a few stray tears dripping onto the floor. “Thanks, I... Love you too.”

Squeezing my hand, Yang dried her eyes with her sleeve.

Scrolling through my Inventory, I grabbed a roll of toilet paper and handed it to Ruby who quickly accepted it... It wasn’t a tissue, but it’d get the job done.

“Sorry... I didn’t mean to upset you two,” Summer murmured. Looking over to me, she blinked. “Do I know you? Wait... Coal? I didn’t think you were real? Is this... Are we actually here or is this just one big illusion?”

“We’re really here,” I replied. “It’s good to see you on this side, Summer.”

Looking around suspiciously, she relaxed upon seeing the light shining in through the window. “It feels so surreal... How is this possible?”

“That is something I am rather curious about myself,” Ozpin hummed, stepping into the room. “However, I can’t say I’m displeased with the results. It has been quite some time since we last saw one another, Summer. Although I am glad to see you awake, you really should be resting.”

“All that’s waiting for me there are nightmares,” Summer said shakily. “I’ve already missed out on so much. I can’t go back to that.”

“Mom,” Yang murmured softly.

Looking over at her daughters, Summer gave a strained smile. “I just... Don’t want to be away from you.”

“You won’t be,” Yang hummed. “We’ll be right here beside you.”

Staring at Yang, Summer’s gaze wavered. Gripping her sheets, she looked away. “I don’t..." Swallowing heavily, she winced. “I don’t want to be alone again. Will that little light still be there?”

Little light? Did she mean my sprite?

“Of course,” I hummed. “It chose to stay with you after all... You won’t be left alone in the dark again.”

Breathing a little easier at that, her eyelid began to flutter closed. “There’s still more I need to say.” Her gaze locked onto Ozpin.

“We can discuss that once you’ve had a little more time to recover,” Ozpin replied.

Fighting the pull, she looked at Yang and Ruby, trying to stay awake, only to pause when Taiyang gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Smiling up at him, she placed her hand on top of his. Blinking a few more times, her lone eye shut and she passed out.

Coughing lightly, Ozpin tapped his cane against the ground. “I believe, given the events of last night, some time off is deserved.”

“Thanks,” Ruby muttered softly. “I, uh, don’t think any of us are ready to go back to class.”

“Think nothing of it,” Ozpin waved her off. “I know this is hardly the time or the place, but I am rather curious how you managed to achieve such a feat... Not to mention that both you and Summer seem somewhat familiar with one another, despite this being the first time you’ve talked to her.”

Feeling several sets of eyes lock onto me, I sighed. “That’s because they’re linked. I met Summer in her mind last night. How I got there... What I did... It isn’t something that I ever plan to teach.”

“But why?” Ruby asked curiously. “Couldn’t it help a lot of people?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” I replied. “There are three hard limits to the body. The Aura limit which, once exceeded, the body no longer produces Aura. The Stamina limit, which, if exhausted, the body can no longer move and the life limit. If you deplete that, you die.”

Feeling Yang shift anxiously at my side, I squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever thought of limitations like that, but I can say that I’ve encountered them in a few lifetimes,” Ozpin noted. “But how does this apply to Summer?”

“Simple, she had no life or stamina left in her and the only Aura she had was fading fast,” I answered. “So I used some of my own to reignite what was already there... Similar to how you can awaken someone’s Aura by using your own.”

“However in this case, it’s life,” Ozpin realized. “I can see now why you would be wary to share such a thing with others. One misstep could mean the difference between life and death... Even still, I imagine that using something like this could be quite detrimental to your body.”

At least he understood the dangers, as did Yang and Ruby, judging by the concerned looks on their faces..

“It can cause a lot of strain.” I nodded. “Using it a few times shouldn’t cause any issues beyond some exhaustion, but repeatedly...”

Ozpin hummed softly in quiet contemplation. “On that note, I believe I should be leaving. Once more, you’ve given me a lot to think about.” Stepping back, he looked over at Summer one last time. “Glynda will be here a little later to check in on you and offer assistance. If you require me, I’ll be in my office.”

Tapping his cane against the ground as he made his way out of the room, the doors quietly clicked shut behind him.

“Did it have to be Professor Goodwitch?” Ruby whined.

“What? Are you still feeling embarrassed about that time you hugged her thinking she was uncle Qrow?” Yang smirked.

Noticing Taiyang twitch as he continued to stare down at Summer while Yang and Ruby bickered in the background, I was about to ask if something had happened, only to be cut off by a loud yawn.

Stretching in her bed, Pyrrha let out a content hum as she opened her eyes, immediately noticing us standing on the other side of the room.

Blinking, she scratched her cheek sheepishly. “I didn’t miss anything important... Did I?”

“There were a few things,” I admitted, but they could wait. Reaching into my pocket, I held my hand out towards Pyrrha. “Cookie?”

Ruby blinked, Yang snorted and Maria chuckled.

Tilting her head to the side, a confused smile made its way to her face. “...Sure?”

...Breathe...

Sitting on a cracked crystal throne with shattered glass and pieces of stone brick around her, Salem contemplated how everything had gone so wrong.  Her conference room had been reduced to little more than a pile of rubble and ash, by her own hand no less.

It hadn’t been intentional... At least not initially. She’d been forced to destroy her Seers in order to cut the connection between her and the projections she’d used to talk to Coal. He’d done something... Something to both her Grimm and herself.

It was hard to describe the sensation that came over her.

...It was like she’d suddenly found herself at the bottom of the sea with an entire ocean weighing over her head, keeping her from moving... Keeping her from breathing. It only ended once she’d killed her Seers... All of them. Just the thought of them caused her throat to tighten.

Rubbing her neck, she felt a pit of hate and anger open in her stomach, but they were accompanied by something else... Something ugly that she thought she’d never feel again.

Fear.

It wasn’t so much that she was afraid of him, but rather what he represented. Living as an immortal, Salem had thought there wasn’t anything left for her to be scared of. Wounds regenerated in mere moments. Her body could be completely obliterated and she’d still come back without a scratch.

That was the thing, though. She came back without a scratch... She never had to suffer through her wounds, she couldn’t... Until now, at least.

Whatever it was that he’d done, it was lingering. His words played over and over again in her head, causing her throat to constrict.

“What is the value of a life to you?”

“Don’t think that just because you’re not physically here that you’re safe.”

“Things could always be worse.”

An immortal life was bad enough without having to deal with this. He’d been on the other side of Remnant and even then he’d been able to affect her.

The only thing with the power to pull something like that off without setting it up beforehand was a god... It had to be. She’d pretty much confirmed it when he breathed life back into Summer’s body... But which one?

Resurrecting the dead and controlling Grimm was more of the God of Darkness’ thing, but the God of Light was perfectly fine with bringing the dead back to life when he was the one doing it... Or else Ozma wouldn’t be walking among the living.

Ozma’s champion had been pretty adamant that he hadn’t met them and had no intentions of ever doing so, but then that would imply that he was a regular human, which was impossible.

No, there was something more at play here and she was going to get to the bottom of it. If it wasn’t the brother gods, then it had to be something else... Perhaps there was another god out there... One she didn’t know about, or, it could be...

Oh, she hadn’t even considered that.

The gods had to come from somewhere, right?

It’s not like the brothers just popped into existence... They were born, in a manner of speaking. That power that Ozma’s champion... No, that Coal had wielded wasn’t human or Faunus in nature. She’d thought that he’d been given some kind of blessing, but maybe it was something more than that.

“Your highness,” Watts cautiously called out near the ruined entrance to the room. “I hope I’m not disturbing you at this moment.”

“Arthur,” Salem hummed. “Please, come in. You would do well to mind your step.”

“Of course,” Watts nodded.

Stepping around shards of broken glass and collapsed ceiling, Watts stopped in front of the spot that’d formerly been his seat at her table. Part of the roof now sat in its place.

“Now, what is it that you need to discuss?”

“We’re running a little short on Dust for Hazel,” Watts answered.

“I see,” She hummed softly. “Is this an urgent matter or will he survive without it?”

“He’ll live,” Watts replied. “But it might negatively affect his recovery.”

Negatively affect? That wouldn’t do at all.

“Then you will need to procure more, while I keep an eye on Hazel,” Salem said. “And while you’re at it, make sure that you have enough supplies to double your project for the festival.”

Perhaps she should have him get some building supplies to repair her castle while he was at it... Among a few other things in order to prepare for what was to come. Soon she’d know the truth... If Coal really was just a regular, albeit powerful, human or if he was something more.