"Mmnnngh," Clark woke up and stretched.

He had to admit, waking up feeling fully rested was an experience that he'd missed.

With a single hand, he launched off the mattress and landed a few feet over by the mirror. He looked at his shoulder, the burn marks had disappeared. He flexed his left arm a few times and moved it around. No lingering pain either. He reached up and felt his cheek where there was only smooth skin.

He was fully healed, and the open window bringing in plenty of morning sun was probably why. Clark smiled.

He got dressed, but his eyes suddenly bulged at the sight of the desk. He flashed over, carefully handling the two halves of the crystal.

Halves which were now connected by thin lines of what looked like string, but they glittered in the light in a way that hinted at more. He examined them with microscopic vision. The connections were made of the same strange crystal.

"Haha! Yes! Jor-El, can you hear me?" He held the crystal up in the air and a few of the lines sagged. He grimaced and set it back down. "Sorry. Jor-El?"

No answer, but right now he couldn't find it in himself to be upset.

There was a knock on the door. When he walked over and opened it, he was greeted by Ruby.

She raised a hand and waved. "Hey Clark, you sound excited today. Did something happen?" she looked in the room with interest.

"Yeah, take a look." He stepped aside and gestured towards the desk.

Ruby stared at it for a few seconds. "You . . . put string on your crystal?"

"No. I just left it there in the night, and when I woke up, the 'strings' were already there. I don't know how, but it looks like the crystal's fixing itself."

Her eyes widened. "It can do that?"

"I guess so. It's alien tech, who knows what it can do?"

"Whoa, that's so cool," she said, the fascination in her gaze was genuine. She turned back to him. "Anyway, I came up to tell you that breakfast is ready."

"Thanks, I'll wash up and come down in a few minutes," he said.

"We'll be waiting," she said, and left.

When he got down the stairs, the table was covered with food. Pancakes topped with butter and syrup, eggs over easy and rolled up Mistralian style, slices of toast with jam or more butter on the side, and lots more breakfast foods, He'd caught whiffs of them in the upper floors, but he hadn't expected this much.

Conversation filled the room since everyone else had already started eating. With a bit of awkwardness, he waved and greeted them. "Hey guys."

"Hey Clark!" Jaune said. "Come on down, there's plenty for everyone."

"Sure," he took a free spot between Jaune and Ruby. There was an empty plate for him, but before he started getting any food, he had to say something first. "Guys?" He waited until everyone's attention fell on him. "About last night, I'm really sorry. I was out of line. We're still good, right?"

"Pfft, no need to be so serious Clark," Nora said. "Duh! Of course we're good."

"Yeah, man," Yang said across from him. "We're still friends, no need to sweat over it."

"Oh, that's a relief."

"Clark, seriously, you shouldn't worry," Qrow added. "The worst you did was yell and smash part of the floor. Compared to the destruction these kids have caused, that's nothing."

"Really?"

"Yep, there are plenty of dumb things these two did when they first got their weapons and Semblances," Qrow pointed at Ruby and Yang.

"Hey!"

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Okay okay, I get the message. I'll tell him later," Qrow said, gaining even more protests. He barreled straight through them. "If you want a story about something everyone was involved in, ask them about a food fight back at Beacon."

"Seriously? You guys had a food fight?" Clark asked.

"We did. Although if you were to ask what some of us were thinking, I couldn't tell you," Pyrrha said, clearly embarrassed by the topic.

He laughed. Even she'd been involved? That was hard to imagine.

"I'll get the details some other time," Clark said. He looked back to the dishes on the table. "By the way, this is a lot of food, even for eight people. Do you guys usually eat this much?"

"We need a lot of calories," Ren said. "However, you're right. This is still a good deal more than what we'd usually have, but for a good reason. A person's first meal in months seems like it should be special, so we all contributed to make this for you."

"You did?" He looked over the food again, seeing it in a new light. "Thank you."

"You better eat a lot, Clark. Otherwise we'll be mad," Yang said.

He smiled. "Understood." He took some pancakes first and piled some eggs to the side. There was some syrup too, but after a small taste, he only used about a tablespoon of it to spread over his pancakes. He cut off a piece and took a bite. "It's good."

"Ruby was largely responsible for those," Ren said. Which explained why she was beaming at Clark's compliment.

The eggs weren't bad, but they tasted kind of strong. Too salty, along with an overwhelming blend of spices. Clark didn't say so, but he must have made a face, because Ren slid over some eggs and said

"Ruby mentioned that some flavors might be too intense for you after going so long without eating. These have been less seasoned, and there are some blander pancakes around here if you'd like."

"Thanks." Clark piled on the new eggs that Ren had offered. "Good guess, Ruby. You were right."

"It wasn't a guess," she said. "I remembered during the party that you said that the soda and cake were too sweet."

For the rest of the meal, they talked mostly about Haven. How their classes were going, which professors they liked and which ones bored them to death. It would be a while until their next mission, but they were already looking forward to them.

Clark ate a lot. He wasn't overly eager to eat, even after so long, but they kept offering him food that he couldn't refuse. By the end of the meal, the eggs started to taste less strong and the syrup less sweet. Instead of just water, he had some orange juice to wash down the toast, and he actually enjoyed the taste. The feeling of food in his stomach was nicely filling too. Plus, luckily for him, the weight of it all didn't bother him.

"See you guys later," he said as they left for classes and munched on a nicely crisp apple.

"Okay, make sure you eat enough," Ruby said. "And I don't want another argument tonight about whether or not you should sleep!"

"Don't worry, I'll eat and sleep regularly now. I promise."

\\\\\

"Well, young man, we've called Mr. Branwen. He said he doesn't know anyone named Oscar Pine but he's on his way," The lady said.

"Thank you," Oscar replied. Things had gone smoothly during the trip here thanks to Ozpin's money, and the workers at Haven's visitors center had been really helpful. He couldn't just be allowed in, but a story about wanting to thank a huntsman who worked here had been enough to let him stay and wait.

"I don't get why we couldn't have gone to the headmaster here," Oscar muttered under his breath. "Didn't you say that you knew him?"

'I was on close terms with Lionheart, but months ago I was forced to reevaluate his loyalty. We'll meet with Qrow first.'

Wait, the headmaster of Haven might be a traitor?

Oscar groaned. Of course Ozpin would tell him that only when he was already here.

It was a boring wait. Oscar softly whistled a song, tapped the leg of his chair, and stared at the clock. He could have played around with his scroll, but the disapproval from Ozpin in the back of his mind made it kind of hard.

'Be patient, Oscar. I was forced to wait weeks in order to convince you of the truth. Surely you can handle more than half an hour."

"We have scrolls, can't we just tell him to call us when he gets here?"

'For someone he has never met? I very much doubt he'd go through the trouble if we didn't care enough to wait for him.'

Oscar sighed. "Fine." He crossed his arms and slumped down in the seat.

"Are you alright there?" the lady asked.

Oscar blushed. Great, his argument with Ozpin must have made him look crazy. "I'm okay."

A man walked in and headed towards the desk. Black hair, a red cloak hanging off his shoulders, and a big sword on his hip. That had to be him.

He spoke to the receptionist. "Excuse me. Yeah, I'm Qrow Branwen. Where's the kid who's been asking for me?"

"Right over there, sir."

Mr. Branwen turned around and faced him. Oscar stood up and walked toward the huntsman, he'd never seen one in person before.

"Kid, you came all this way just to thank me?"

"Well, yes, but I'm also supposed to . . . ask for my cane back?" His tone was uncertain. Was it some sort of password or something?

Mr. Branwen gave him a strange look and then a grin slowly spread across his face. "Sure, it's back at the dorm where I'm staying. Come with me."

"Um, okay." Oscar, surprised it had worked, followed the huntsman outside.

When they were alone, he said "Good to see you back, Ozpin."

"Actually, well, I'm not Ozpin right now. He's here though, if you want to talk to him."

"Yeah, I want to."

Oscar stopped and closed his eyes. Once he opened them again, he was still there, seeing and hearing what was happening, but he didn't have control of his body anymore.

"Hello Qrow. It's good to see you again." The steady tone sounded strange coming out of his mouth.

"Good to see you too. I didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"I was fortunate this time. Now, tell me, what is our current situation?"

"Could be better, could be worse," Qrow said. "Glynda's got Beacon on lockdown and the Relic's still safe. I don't know what Ironwood's thinking up in Atlas. Have you seen the news?"

"I am aware of the embargo, and while it is extreme, it is also understandable. James does tend to overreact."

"Yeah, that's better than Lionheart at least. Clark checked with X-ray vision. He's a traitor, he has a damn Seer Grimm in his office that he uses to talk to Salem."

Ozpin sighed. Even for Oscar, regret flowed in and surrounded him like a deep ocean. Being submerged in it felt strangely familiar, and Oscar couldn't even react to it. He only felt the pain of betrayal by someone he'd never met.

"We suspected as much, but it's disheartening to hear confirmation of it."

The emotion receded and allowed Oscar to return to normal. Wait, had Mr. Branwen said that he knew a guy with X-ray vision?

"I'll hear the details regarding Lionheart in time. Where are Mr. Kent and the students?"

"Clark's in the city. He's taken up a sort of project to reduce crime there, and the students are still in classes. I can call him up now, and it shouldn't be long until they're finished."

"Please do so."

By the time they made it to the dorm, Qrow finished his call and seconds later, a tall muscular guy in his early twenties arrived at the door.

"Hey there," he gave Ozpin a small greeting. "Qrow, what's the important thing you need to show me?"

"Him." Qrow said, pointing. "It's Ozpin."

"Really?" his eyes widened, then he studied Oscar's body more closely. "You've reincarnated already?"

"Yes. I must say, it's very convenient that Qrow's already informed you of the possibility."

"We also made sure to tell the others," Qrow said. "Wait for a bit, I'll go get your cane."

"Thank you."

When Qrow returned, Ozpin tested the cane in his hands. Lifting it up and down. "I'll require an extensive training regimen in order to bring this body up to par," he said. "In addition, I'll require my aura to be unlocked. However, we have more pressing matters to discuss at the moment. Mr. Kent, after the attack on Vale, why did you not go public as the Dart?"

So he was the Dart! Oscar sent some annoyance at Ozpin, although he couldn't tell if it was received. Why was he just learning this now?

Clark's eyes narrowed. "Is that really important? There's a lot about Lionheart, Cinder, and the phantom you should hear about first."

"And I will. Nonetheless, in the long-term, public knowledge of you is more important. If the people of Remnant knew that you were there to protect them, they could find reassurance in the face of even the worst catastrophes. With Salem so active and successful in this era, we can't allow them to fall to despair and attract Grimm."

"You say that, but in my experience, people are more likely to be afraid of me when they learn about my powers," Clark paused. "Or they try to use me."

"Maybe if you came out of nowhere you'd have to worry about that, but the people of Vale already knew about the Dart," Qrow said. "If you'd debuted right after the attack, Ironwood and Glynda could have set you up pretty well with statements and footage of you killing a ridiculous number of Grimm."

"Look, I've made my choice and I'm not going to reveal myself anytime soon no matter what you say. Besides, the phantom's still out there. Think about the fear and suspicion he could spread if he pretended to be me."

Phantom? Were they talking about ghosts?

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"That is a problem," Ozpin agreed. "However, if you manage to defeat him, will you agree to reconsider?"

"Yeah," he said offhand. He obviously looked like he wanted to change the topic. "Now do you want to hear what we've learned about Salem's people?"

"I do."

They told Ozpin a whole bunch of stuff, and Oscar could hardly keep up. The headmaster of Haven worked for Salem, he had weekly meetings that Clark watched and listened to with X-ray vision and . . . super-hearing? Okay, and Clark had a clone who could fly and was working for Salem. There was someone named Cinder too, who was something called a Maiden, and she had worked with the clone to attack Clark just last night. They'd used magic knives to cut him, and a girl named Ruby had silver eyes which had done something.

What?

'I understand your confusion, but I promise to answer any questions you have in time. I must ask my own as well, as I am not certain on a number of points.'

It took a while for them to explain, long enough for the students that they'd mentioned to finish their classes and come to the dorm.

'Whoa.' Oscar thought when he first saw the girls. He recognized the champion fighter Pyrrha Nikos and the rest were just as pretty. It was like he was looking at supermodels, except for one girl who looked closer to his age. She was pretty too, but she felt a lot more approachable than the others.

They were surprised that Ozpin's soul was now sharing the body of a teenage boy, but they didn't dismiss the idea as crazy. The fact that so many people believed it was a relief when Oscar had been doubting himself for so long.

"So . . . is that really you, headmaster?" Ruby asked, leaning in.

'Too close! Too close!'

"Yes, I recall you eating quite a number of cookies during our first meeting," Ozpin said. "Do you recall what I first said to you? That you had silver eyes?"

"Wow. Okay, I believe you, sir."

"Good. Now everyone, sit. We have much to discuss. First, I'd like to investigate Clark's peculiar vulnerability to magic. Qrow, would you please transform?"

The huntsman nodded and turned into a bird.

A bird. And everyone else just looked at it like it was a normal thing. Was that why his name was Qrow?

"Land on Clark and peck his finger please."

Clark extended a hand, and the bird did what Ozpin said. There was a tink. Like he'd hit metal instead of flesh.

"Now, was there any pain?"

"No," Clark said.

"Speak for yourself," Qrow said. Back in human form with a hand on his face. "My mouth still hurts."

"Nobody said you had to do it that hard."

"Actually, it's very good that Qrow did so," Ozpin said. "A bird can't hurt you, and as we just saw, the same holds for a magically transformed bird. Yet that raises a question. Conventional fire is unable to burn you, why should magic fire do so? Or why should magic knives work where conventional knives fail?"

"That's . . . a good question, but if you want an answer, I don't have it."

"I have an inkling of one, but to be certain, it would be helpful if you could inform me of your experiences with magic."

Clark told them about his experience with witches back on his . . . home planet? Wait, he was an alien?

Anyway, the witches had possessed his friends and taken his powers with spells. Leaving him vulnerable enough to be scratched by their nails. However, a magical artifact had also given him his powers back and he'd defeated them. The second time he'd encountered a witch, she'd hit him with a vague magic blast. Which had hurt but not done any serious damage. Although when she'd put a spell on a normal sword, it cut him.

"Hm, that hasn't disproven my theory, but magic in your world may work differently than what I'm familiar with. Tell me the details of your encounters with Cinder."

Clark recounted them. He'd first met her at the CCT in Vale, which Ozpin already knew. She'd sent a blast of magic wind at him and hit him with fire that had burned him. During their second attack, she'd just provided the clone with knives that could pierce his skin.

"The phantom did say something, though," Clark included. "That it took a little more than a 'magic-knife-making-spell' to make one that cuts us."

Ozpin nodded. "That would certainly support my ideas. Based on my knowledge of magic and your encounters with it, I believe I've formed an understanding of how it affects you.

"Allow me to explain. The effects of magical attacks depend on their magical properties. Transform a person into a bird and if that bird pecks you, it will do no more damage than a regular bird would. Magically summon a blast of wind and you can use your immense strength to withstand it just as you would normal wind. Magic fire and weaponry? This seems to be where it gets somewhat more complicated.

"Let us suppose that I create a knife with magic. If it has no other magical properties, I suspect it will not hurt you. However, if it does have magical properties, it still may not hurt you. For example, if I were to put a spell on a knife to make it glow in the dark, I very much doubt that would cause it to cut you."

"Okay, that all makes sense," Clark said. "So Cinder's flames and knives have magical properties that allow them to hurt me?"

"Yes. In the case of the knives, a spell that enhances a blade's cutting power. Although for Cinder's flames, I suspect more is at work than simply increasing their heat. Due to the nature of the maidens' powers, her attacks can differ from physical fire. After all, you've seen her create weapons with them. When they burn you, she may be imbuing them with a more abstract concept of burning rather than using heat alone to cause the effect. Although that would require a very strong connection with fire." Ozpin put on a thoughtful expression. "If she or another maiden were to make a fire for the purpose of say, a campfire, it should be no different from a natural fire. I suspect it wouldn't hurt you either."

"That's good to know," Clark said. "I guess that explains why Ruby's eyes didn't hurt me or the phantom."

"Yes, that was another factor I considered. Silver eyes should only affect Grimm."

"Wait, that can't be right," Ruby said. "When I used them, Cinder got hurt."

"That can easily be explained," Ozpin said. He faced her uncle. "Qrow, you saw how Cinder originally attempted to steal Amber's power. That should be enough to explain it."

He slapped his forehead. "The Grimm in her hand. She still has that inside her?"

Ozpin nodded. "Ruby's story seems to confirm it and it has dangerous implications. The Grimm inside Cinder holds the Fall Maiden's power and may even be able to hold it after her death, allowing Salem to easily transfer it to another woman of her choosing. It's likely that only its destruction would take it out of her grasp."

"Okay, but what about them making me pass out?" Ruby asked. "Why did that happen and how do I stop that from happening again?"

"The sight of Clark injured must have summoned powerful enough emotions to activate them," Ozpin said. "The strain must have been what made you collapse. Barring another event like that, you should be safe. However, it is necessary that you learn to control your eyes. I will offer whatever help I can, but even in my long years, success with various warriors has been rare."

Ruby relaxed. "Thank you. I'll try hard to control it too."

"Sorry to bring this up now, but the topic of magic reminded me of something," Clark said. "I can sort of detect it with my X-ray vision."

"You can?" Ozpin leaned forward, clearly interested. "How so?"

"It's a bit hard to explain. I first saw it with Cinder's knives. I could see through them just fine, but looking inside it was like . . . fog. Completely murky, not blocking my vision like lead. I saw the same thing inside Cinder, which I guess was the Grimm you're talking about."

"Mr. Kent, we must make certain of this ability. Will you look inside me and tell me what you see?" Ozpin asked.

His eyes narrowed, focused completely on him. After a few seconds, he said "It's the same thing. All over your body there's vague . . . tendrils. That's the best I can say."

"Very well, then inside Ms. Rose?"

"Huh?" Ruby reddened and leaned away. "Wait! You're going to look at me with X-ray vision?!"

"Only if you give me permission," Clark said. "And I'll only look inside your head."

"Th-that's fine then."

He only took a glance and faced Ozpin again. "Yeah, it's the same with her eyes. I can see through them just fine, but if I want to focus on them specifically, the murkiness is there."

"Fascinating. You could easily find the maiden with this ability," Ozpin said. Then his eyes darkened. "Although that must also hold true for your counterpart. If Salem wishes to find the other maidens, he would make the task much easier."

"Well, not necessarily," Clark said. "He's keeping X-ray vision secret so he can spy on them, and if he wants to find magic, he'd have to look at each person carefully. It's hard to use X-ray vision and super-speed at the same time, so that would take a while unless he narrows down her location first."

"Very well, that does give me some relief. Now, regarding Lionheart, there is still much to discuss." Ozpin paused and looked over them. "Actually, perhaps we can save the topic for another time. There is another important matter that I believe will greatly interest you all. Group spars, which I shall be arranging."

They'd all been listening politely, although the sheer amount of information seemed to overwhelm one or two. At Ozpin's announcement though, excitement entered all their eyes.

"Really, headmaster?" Yang asked.

"Yes, and there is no longer any need to call me 'headmaster'. I am only Ozpin now." He stood up from the seat. "Now, please change into your combat clothing and follow me. We won't be sparring in the usual training facilities. We require a more private location."

\\\\\

Jaune waited at one end of the rock cleft they'd found just outside the city. His team, Ruby, and Yang were with him. It was still early evening, so even though winter was close by, there was plenty of sunlight shining in. It was still a bit chilly, but the wind wasn't as bad down here as it was higher up.

He doubted anyone would be nearby. It hadn't been hard to get to, but nobody had a reason to come here besides them. And even if someone did, Clark would hear them way before they got close.

Clark was at the other end of the cleft a few hundred feet away. Ozpin and Qrow were with him too, and they'd been talking for the past few minutes. Right now though, it looked like they were arguing. The reason why, Jaune couldn't guess.

"Are we gonna get started any time soon?" Yang tapped her foot against the ground. "I'm getting bored."

"We haven't been waiting that long," Ruby said. "The headmaster's organizing a spar for us, I'm happy to wait as long as it takes to make it awesome."

"Yeah. It's weird though, the kid he got reincarnated into must be younger than you."

"I agree, it will certainly take some getting used to," Pyrrha said.

"It is, but Ozpin said that while he was controlling his body, Oscar was still watching and listening. We haven't even said hi to him, isn't that a little weird?" Ruby said.

"We'll have the opportunity to introduce ourselves properly later. For now, it seems that Ozpin and your uncle are finished speaking with Clark." Ren said. He pointed, and sure enough, Qrow and Ozpin were walking towards them.

"Are we going to get started?" Jaune asked when they got close.

"Not yet," Ozpin said. "I must explain a few points first. The purpose of this spar is to prepare all of you against an encounter with Clark's double. Clark will attack and your objective will be to protect Ruby. You may have as much time as you like to plan. When you are fully prepared, the spar will begin."

"How many of us going to protect her first?" Yang asked.

"All of you."

"Wait, so it's going to be Clark against the six of us?"

"That is correct."

Pyrrha raised a hand. "Sir, does this mean Clark will be using his speed against us?"

"It is likely. He will be attacking you in the way he believes his double would with the exception that he will not use lethal attacks."

Jaune gulped. He saw the same drop in confidence in everyone else. Clark using super-speed, what chance did they have? "O-okay guys, lets plan."

"Yeah, we've sparred Clark before." Yang said, although even her fiery bravado was subdued. "There's no way he's getting through us. Even if he's pretending to be evil Clark, he's not gonna lay a finger on Ruby."

Jaune nodded. Scary as it was, they had to do this to protect Ruby. No, not just her, Clark too. After all, he'd almost lost against his last fight against his clone.

They talked. They couldn't hurt him no matter what they tried, so they focused on stalling him. Bullets might distract him, so anyone with them had to last as long as possible. Meanwhile, close-range fighters would have to focus on getting as close to him and slowing him down.

They were ready. Ruby in the back, using her sniper rifle to fire but not planning to use its sight at all. Pyrrha in front of her, she had Jaune's shield as well as her own so she could use her Semblance to provide the most cover for Ruby. The rest of them were spread out in a line in front.

"We're ready," Jaune said.

"Very well, I will count down and you will start on go," Ozpin raised an arm. "3. 2. 1. Go!" He flagged down the start of the spar.

In the distance, Clark vanished.

"Unngh!" All Jaune saw was sky. It was like a truck had hit him into a brick wall, and he felt rock shatter off his back. Aura flashed and he felt nearly all of it go in one it. The wind hadn't just been knocked out of him; it had been blasted out.

At the same time, more yells ran out with the sound of rock breaking.

Jaune groaned, pushed himself up on his feet, and looked at the others.

They'd all fallen, the ground under them split with a bunch of cracks. Besides him, Yang was the only one getting up. The others just moaned in pain.

Ruby was over on the ground by Clark. In his arms were all their weapons. Both shields, the hafts and blades of Nora's hammer, Ruby's scythe, their swords, and-

"You . . . you got my gauntlets too?" Yang was hunched over and held her stomach. Already there was a bruise forming.

"Please take your time to recover," Ozpin said. "Mr. Kent, it seems that Mr. Arc and Ms. Xiao-Long still have their aura remaining. Why didn't you deplete theirs of it like the others?"

"I meant to. I didn't account for the fact that they have more aura." He carefully set their weapons on the ground and walked forward, helping Ruby up. "Sorry guys, but Ozpin said this was necessary."

"And it was. This exercise was useful for multiple reasons. Most importantly, it shows the danger of your double." Ozpin faced them and made an announcement. "Remember this, all of you. If you encounter Clark's double, engaging him in combat will almost certainly result in death. At best, you can hope to distract him and that Clark arrives in time to help."

"What was wrong with just telling them that? They know what my speed is like."

"There is a difference between knowledge and experience. Painful as it is, this reminder of your strength and speed may save their lives if they ever encounter your double without you nearby."

"I agree with the headmaster." Pyrrha said. Her hand covered a spot on her stomach where Clark must have hit her. "Sparring with you these past few months put us in a false sense of security. We've never seen you go all out before."

Jaune agreed. Even though he had plenty of experience with Clark using his super-speed for Interference stuff, his mind had gone straight to the spars where Pyrrha and the others handled Clark pretty well.

"In fact, you still haven't. The reason why I also instructed Mr. Kent to confiscate your weapons is to demonstrate the ease with which he can disarm you. He could crush them with his bare hands or even just use his heat vision. As he will show."

Clark seemed resigned as he shoved his hands into the ground. He pulled up two big chunks of rock. One, he crushed. The other he tossed up in the air and a red beam seared it in half.

"Heat vision is likely more dangerous than even his speed. Mr. Kent is easily capable of vaporizing bullets mid-air, so dodging the beams is out of the question."

"You can do that?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I can." His voice blank.

"I'd like to make sure you're just as capable as when Ms. Goodwitch instructed you," Ozpin said. "You seem to be out of practice judging the amount of force to use to deplete the aura of your opponents."

Clark frowned. "Is that really necessary? I'm not planning on fighting huntsmen."

"It is still wise to prepare. Which is also why I will organize more group spars against you from now on. You must learn how to fight against multiple opponents in case Cinder provides her allies with magic weaponry, but that is not all. The students hone their teamwork in order to battle enemies much stronger than them."

"More group spars? Isn't that just gonna be Clark going zip and slamming us into the ground again?" Nora asked.

"He will not use his speed for the majority of them. No enemy you're likely to face will be that fast, but his other abilities will allow him to fight in many different styles."

Jaune bit his lip. Even if Clark wasn't going to use his speed, how there was no way Jaune could lead JNPR and beat him.

\\\\\

Oscar went down the stairs. Mr. Branwen had said he'd be allowed to stay in the dorm with them, although he had to lay low until they found a good enough reason to give Haven.

He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. He'd meant to head back up to the room they'd given him, except on the way he ran into Yang.

"Oh, um, hello." He looked away. If he didn't, he'd end up staring. The beautiful blonde only had on an orange tank top and shorts. He could see a hint of her stomach and chest while her legs were in full view.

"Hey," she gave him a wave. "Let me guess, you're Oscar right now?"

"Y-yeah, Ozpin said I should stay in control most of the time to gain more experience. From now on, he'll only come out when he has to."

"Makes sense. Well, see you later."

"Okay."

He continued walking up and saw someone else coming down.

Clark. The Dart. The super-powered alien from another dimension who made sound look slow and could throw cars around like they hardly weighed anything. Ozpin had answered all of Oscar's questions earlier, including anything about Clark. It was a lot to remember, but he'd written down notes.

"Hey," Clark said.

"Hey." Oscar looked down and walked by. If he said anything else, he'd just sound stupid. Before, Oscar hadn't been a big fan of the Dart, he'd just thought the guy seemed kinda cool. Though after seeing all the awesome stuff he could do firsthand, there was no way he could stay calm.

He waited at the top of the stairs and listened. Curious about what Clark did in his free time.

"Hey, Clark, you going to the city?" Yang asked.

"Yep."

"When will you be back?"

"It'll be late, but don't worry, I'll be back in time to get enough sleep and eat breakfast with you guys."

"You better. After what we saw today, we might not survive if cranky Clark comes back."

A short pause.

"Sorry, it was a bad joke," she rushed to say.

"No, it wasn't. I'm just oversensitive." He sighed. A sound Oscar just barely caught from the top of the stairs. "It's just . . . back home, things tended to go bad whenever I used my powers in front of people. Even my best friend got jealous sometimes and acted out."

"Acted out?"

"He joined a street racing gang before I convinced him to leave. He didn't say so, but the way he compared himself to my abilities when telling me why he joined made it clear that he felt inadequate."

"We're probably not gonna join any gangs, but after what happened today, I get it. You're worried about something like that happening with us."

"A bit. Do you feel that way?"

"Not really. You're way stronger than us, I don't see the point in being jealous about it. It's like if I were to be upset that I'll never be as fast as Ruby. Or if someone else were mad that they couldn't take damage like me."

"That's an interesting way to look at it. I guess it's because you're more used to having powers here than where I'm from."

"That's probably it. By the way, don't worry about any of us getting petty. If that starts, I'll make sure to set them straight."

"I don't think that's necessary, but thanks."

"No problem. Good luck in the city."

"Actually, I just realized, I need to grab something from my room first."

'He's coming up!' Oscar pushed away from the railing.

A hand landed on his shoulder before he even got two steps away. "Whoa there. I didn't mean to scare you off. I just thought I'd ask a few questions after I figured out you were listening."

Oscar turned red. "Y-you knew I was there?"

"I heard that your footsteps stop right at the top of the stairs." Clark tilted his head. "Ozpin hasn't told you about my hearing?"

He had, but it was hard to remember all of Clark's powers.

"Are you alright? We were all so focused on Ozpin that you've barely had the chance to introduce yourself. Not to mention you seem a little jumpy around us."

"No no. I'm fine. Completely fine."

"I guess Ozpin hasn't told you that I'm pretty good at recognizing when someone's lying to me." He flashed him a brief grin before turning serious. "Something's bothering you. I think it'd be better if you told me about it."

Oscar faced away. "Okay, you're right. Ever since I got here, it's . . . it's been a lot to take in. Magic, aliens, Relics, and huntsmen. The only reason I'm involved is because Ozpin happened to appear in my head. I'm not supposed to be here. I should be back home helping my aunt at our farm."

"I know the feeling, I'd like to get back to my farm too," Clark said.

"You lived on a farm?"

"Yep, back on Earth, but I was whisked away here and don't know if I'll ever get back."

Oscar grimaced. "I guess compared to your situation, I don't really have a right to complain."

"That's not what I meant. I only wanted to show that I can understand part of what's bothering you and help. Only the part about being forced to be leave your home and save the world though. Not sure I can do anything specifically about the immortal wizard in your head."

Oscar laughed. "Thanks."

"Would you mind telling me about your farm? It's been a while since I've talked about stuff like that with someone."

"Are you sure? I don't think it'll be that interesting . . ." He liked working at his farm, but he couldn't think of anything to say about it besides his daily routine.

"Then I'll tell some stories about what it was like at my farm. I can guarantee that at least a few of them will be entertaining."

Oscar smiled. "O-okay. I'm not bothering you though, right? Didn't you say you had to go to Mistral?"

Clark brushed it off. "I can take care of it later tonight."