𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 [ʀᴡʙʏ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴏᴄ]

Chapter 55

I slowly opened my eyes, the world blurry and spinning from the crash. My head throbbed, but I realized I was warm-sheltered.

Klaus's arms were around me. He'd shielded me when we fell. Snow clung to his coat, branches crackled above, and the wind howled softly through the trees.

I blinked away the daze, trying to piece together what had just happened. The train... the crash...

Klaus groaned beside me, his voice raspy but gentle.

Klaus: "You okay?" he asked, brushing snow from my shoulder, his brows knit with worry.

I sat up slowly, reaching out to touch his face.

Weiss: "Yes, but... wait-you've got cuts on your face!"

A streak of blood ran along his cheek, just below his eye. I felt my chest tighten.

Klaus: "It'll be alright," he said softly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a tired smile. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Then, without a second thought, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead-soft, warm, and grounding amidst the cold chaos.

We slowly got up, brushing snow off our clothes. Klaus offered me his hand as I steadied myself, and we made our way toward the scattered remains of the train.

Up ahead, I saw the others-Ruby, Yang, Blake, even Qrow-all gathered in a loose circle, their expressions a mixture of confusion, frustration, and concern.

Oscar was at the center, hunched slightly under the weight of their stares.

Yang: "Are you gonna start talking, or should we guess what's going on?"

Klaus: "We nearly died back there. We deserve answers."

Ruby: "Oscar... or Ozpin... whoever you are right now-we need to know what's really going on."

Klaus and I exchanged a look. His jaw was tight, eyes narrowed, clearly holding back something. I squeezed his arm lightly.

Weiss: "Come on. Let's hear it from him."

Klaus didn't say anything... yet. But I could feel the storm in him building.

Ozpin: "It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."

Weiss: "You know, I'm getting real tired of people choosing what's best for me."

Yang: "Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?"

Ozpin: "Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."

Klaus: "I wouldn't call that missteps, Oz."

Ozpin: "What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."

Yang: "Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you."

Ozpin: (raising his voice) "Do you really think Leo was the first?!"

Everyone stops.

Ozpin: "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I... "(suddenly stops and realizes something) "Where's the Relic?"