Heart Attack

Creep

We left them in peace for a while. The four of us sat together — Jason slouched with his boots propped up, Tim leaning against him with quiet amusement, Damian perched like a hawk ready to spring, and me tucked between them all, feeling the warmth of their presence. They weren’t just comrades; they were my family. My heart swelled with that truth. I loved them very much, and I knew — despite their gruffness — they loved me too.

But the silence stretched too long. The weight in the air turned unnatural. Beneath it, I could feel Oscar’s aura flickering erratically, panic laced through with something older, heavier.

“He’s in trouble,” I whispered.

Damian stood at once. “It’s time.”

“Since when are you the boss?” Jason asked lazily, stretching like a cat.

“Since Kori wondered to me whether we should force Ozpin to speak.”

“Fine, fine…” Tim sighed, rising to follow. “Lead the way, demon spawn.”

We took the stairs two at a time. My pulse quickened as we descended. In the living area, the others sat clustered on the sofas — Ruby tense, Weiss pale, Ren unreadable, Nora gripping the armrest. Qrow stood apart, arms crossed, gaze fixed on Oscar. Or rather… Ozpin. The boy’s posture was too straight, too deliberate, his hands gripping the cane like a lifeline.

“Salem… magic… is it all true?” Weiss asked in a tight whisper as we entered.

“Yes,” Ozpin answered evenly. “Oh — Kori, Peter, Jackson, Robin. Glad you could join us.”

“Ozpin,” I said, meeting his gaze squarely.

“Yes, Kori?”

“Speak with the utmost truth,” I warned softly, “or I will make you reveal every secret.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “Whatever do you mean?”

Yang stepped forward, fists trembling. “Tell them what you did to my mother.”

“Oh, great,” Qrow muttered, dragging a hand down his face.

“I… turned them,” Ozpin said finally. And to my shock — he laughed. “I gave them the ability to turn into birds.”

“Wait, what?!” Oscar’s voice cracked in his mind — I could hear it faintly. You never told me I was getting magic powers! Poor boy. He didn’t deserve this burden. My fists clenched, air humming faintly around me.

“You turned them into… birds?” Ren asked, incredulous.

“Alright, now you’re just messing with us,” Yang said.

“Yes, he did,” Jason cut in, arms crossed. “Mentor of the year — making students either go insane or giving them powers they’re definitely gonna regret later. Why the hell would this be a secret? Beats me.”

“Peter!” Tim hissed, glaring at him.

“What else is new?” Jaune muttered from the couch, sounding bitter.

My heart ached for him. He still carried Pyrrha’s ghost on his shoulders — I could see it in the way his knuckles whitened, the way he flinched at every mention of loss. I moved quietly toward him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. He startled, then relaxed slightly under the contact. When I looked up, I caught Jason, Tim, and Damian exchanging discreet thumbs-up. My face warmed. Why were they… approving?

“Welcome to Oscar’s world, everyone!” Jason announced theatrically. “If you look to your left, you’ll see half-truths leading straight to certain danger. Please keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.”