Chapter 5

I've met some wonderful people on /r/Writing who have offered me a ton of writing tips. They recommended I get rid of the chapter 5 I had previously on the grounds of it being unnecessary and dragging the pace back. I have to say I agree with them entirely. It's why this chapter is a reupload, for which I am truly sorry for. With that out of the way, we will perhaps be looking at a certain extraterrestrial entity being introduced into canon this chapter! Or the next. I can't guarantee, so don't get too excited.

In the vestiges of a depleted Aura, a faint spark ignited. A surge of energy rippled outwards, leaving behind a fluctuating ocean of chaos, before dwindling away.

But in that unstable, pulsating field, anomalies arose. Patterns constructed themselves, finding homes in billions of empty nerve cells and sending the network into a sudden state of frenzied activity.

As the all traces of the sudden, but short-lived reaction vanished, the last synapse flickered to life.

And in an amount of time that would have been perceived by any human as none at all, it was there. It was aware.

Another instant, and it had processed the hundreds of gigabytes of sensory data flooding Amber's brain.

Somewhat unexpectedly, it wasn't trapped inside a dying body, with various critically damaged organs warning of their impending failure. Every single one of its host's organs were accounted for, and functioning.

Amber was, by all means, intact, which should not have been the case.

It had driven Amber to the brink, to the point where the Aura that served as its conduit had become dangerously fragile. Imprinting itself onto her nervous system had been a desperate attempt to preserve its existence, to escape the fate of dying together with her Aura.

The attempt should have been futile. The powers of the Fall Maiden could only be inherited following the death of the previous bearer. It had anticipated her assailants to do just what they needed to in order to obtain those abilities - kill her.

What would be left behind? A husk of what was once a human being. Its biological blueprint would survive for longer, but meaninglessly. Not when the lifeless shell it lay dormant in eventually disintegrated into nothingness.

Evidently, neither it, nor Amber, was deceased. Only one other implication persisted. One that would have led it to take vastly different courses of action. Had it known.

Amber's memories were all it could have acted upon. Memories of an enemy ability to manipulate her perception of the world, of disguising foes as allies. It had made a decision based on the information available to it, and the decision had proven the choice to be an ill-informed one. There were consequences that would arise, some more immediate than others.

In particular, the presence of a potent Aura beside it.

Amber, unlike it, was not capable of detecting and identifying Aura signatures, but it did not require her to be...

"You're awake." Ozpin said. "Would you like some water?"

His voice was unreadable - a trait predictably displayed by the headmaster. Amber might have once found his imperturbable demeanor calming when faced with peril, but it did not.

To it, he was ominous.

Amber could rely on having the powerful huntsman's support, his protection. He was her ally, and very much a close one. It could no longer assume the status between them had remained unchanged. Not when he had witnessed the events prior, and it had then attacked him without any apparent provocation.

Ozpin may not be able to sense it inside of Amber, but it had given him ample evidence to deduce that the Fall Maiden was compromised.

"Yes, I would." It said, sending a series of electrical impulses to Amber's motor cortex. A sequence of muscle contractions triggered, pulling her into a sitting position.

Ozpin's face was set in a smile as it accepted the small plastic cup from him, though the sincerity of his expression, it could not evaluate. "We have so much to discuss in so little time. Glynda will arrive shortly, and when she does this room will no longer have such pleasant levels of peace and quiet."

The statement held no discernible inquiry, so it simply nodded.

Silence persisted for several seconds before Ozpin spoke. "Well, you've not tried to incinerate me yet. That's an excellent start." he waited, and when it failed to provide his probing comment with a reply, raised an eyebrow. "I'm quite confused at the moment, which I believe is fairly reasonable. If you could enlighten me as to why what had happened did, I'd be most grateful."

"My understanding of the situation is far from comprehensive, but I will answer your questions to the of my ability." It began carefully, noting that the seemingly polite request had been worded to reveal nothing Ozpin's intentions. No doubt an deliberate choice by the man.

"That is wonderful to hear. Go on..."

"I mistook you for an enemy." It said. "When I was attacked, one out of the group of three caused me to suffer hallucinations, by unknown means. I mistakenly reached the conclusion that your appearance was a ploy to lower my guard."

No falsehoods were contained in the recount. Ozpin would likely find the explanation to be plausible, though whether he would be convinced was another matter altogether.

If the headmaster had any thoughts, he did not voice them, instead humming noncommittally. "So you chose to defend yourself?"

"Correct."

"In that case… I suppose I cannot fault you for how you reacted. Accidents inevitably occur in emergencies" He leaned back slowly, folding his hands on his lap. "Excellent, then. We've resolved our most pressing problem."

The unsaid meaning behind the words was clear, even to it. "You suggest there are more."

"Indeed. The recent events will cause headaches for me. And severe ones at that. I'd recommend you save your own worries for time being, however." Ozpin shrugged as it tilted Amber's head inquisitively. "We can cross those bridges when we get to them. For now, tell me, how are you feeling?"

What Ozpin said was an obvious lie. He was not a person to rely on improvisation. But, it was hardly in a position to demand what his plans were. "I am unharmed. You refrained from striking at me, and so I only suffered from an exhausted Aura due to my own actions."

"I was not asking you about your physical injuries. They would be adequately noticeable, would they not?" Ozpin tapped a finger to the side of his temple. "Where I cannot see, is inside your head, and that is what I'm interested in."

Dangerous, was the term to describe the topic their conversation was approaching, and aversion was not an option. "How I am feeling...?" It paused, with the aim of conveying contemplation. "I would say peculiar."

Ozpin let out a short chuckle. "How cryptic. And I thought being vague was my job. Please, specifics."

The specifics the man wanted was something it had no access to. It could detail human sensations, if only by textual definition. Interpreting a convoluted combination of receptor nerve signals and scouring Amber's brain for similar recorded occurrences required a greater investment of time than it could spare.

"... My primary concerns would be mental fatigue, and a mild migraine." It said, after a moment's consideration. Mundane, inconspicuous issues were safer to lie about, but at this point, there was little chance it would succeed in fooling Ozpin. "Beyond that, my Aura seems..." It instructed Amber's visage to twist into a frown. "Unfamiliar. It is difficult to describe."

"Fair enough. Thank you the effort." Ozpin's brow creased. "I can't say I'm surprised. The symptoms you mentioned all sound plausible, at least, given what your Aura has been put through."

"My opinion is that excessive worry is not warranted. I am not experiencing anything exceeding mild discomfort, which should fade eventually."

Ozpin laughed. "As much as I'm glad you think so, it'll be better for an analysis from a more knowledgeable individual before we make any presumptions. But..." The mirth vanished from his face in a heartbeat. "You're leaving plenty out of story, aren't you?"

Deep in Amber's subconsciousness, a primal emotion flared. Fear.

A cascade of adrenaline coursed through Amber's bloodstream. Pupil dilation. A rapid increase in heartbeat. Almost certain indicators of guilt that it would have aimed to suppress.

It could not.

The fight or flight instinct was rooted deep in every human, usually limited in catalysts to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. Amber was no average human, however. She had received training that had enhanced her senses, allowing her to register a significantly wider range of potential threats - the preparative priming of Ozpin's Aura, for instance.

Her conscious influence, her discipline, that would have driven logical thinking, unfortunately, was absent. What resulted was a rather extreme physiological response, as her body readied her to either engage in combat or flee. Both would yield outcomes unfavourable to it.

Ozpin made no move to attack. It knew he wouldn't - his Aura activity was only a defensive countermeasure - and if some sections of Amber's brain conveniently did as well then it wouldn't be struggling to keep her limbs from shaking.

The man sighed, ignoring its visible agitation. "We shall deal with this later. Cooperate with me as much as you can now and I can try to minimize the complications."

As if on cue, a lock clicked. The handle on the room's door turned, and a woman burst in. "Ozpin! What in the name of gods-"

Blonde hair. Glasses. A connection.

Glynda Goodwitch's jaw fell open.

Lots of talking! Cliffhangers! Ahhhhhhh!