"The story I am about to tell you is not one I would choose to share, but I fear what may happen if you hear it first from Salem, in distorted form. I know I cannot bar you from recording it, nor reporting it to your colleagues in Starlight. I do not ask that your organization keep it secret forever, but please know that it is a deeply painful and personal story, and one that, if told at the wrong time to the people of Remnant, do irreparable harm. We have a saying, on Remnant, so ubiquitous that it crossed continents before our technology did. 'Disaster brings the ravens, and division, the wolves.' 

"Rather than risk a misunderstanding in the future, I will tell it as fully and honestly as I can..." Ozpin's breath catches. "However it may grieve me to recall. 

"Still, I must beg of you and yours discretion in this matter. Only share that which necessity demands. The workings of old magics have strategic and scientific value, but there is little to be gained by dredging up ancient loves and sorrows, and much harm may be done thereby." 

"We do our best to exercise discretion around personal stories. Based on our experience thus far with Salem, we mostly use her to confirm things we know from elsewhere. She isn't considered trustworthy given her admitted association with the Grimm. If you'd prefer, you can wait to explain until it becomes relevant."

"I cannot risk half-truths now. I shall tell it once, and be done. 

"Before Salem's fall, before the Brothers Grimm destroyed the world, Salem and I were lovers. I was Ozma, then, a scholar and a protector, and she was a student of magic like me. For a time - a time so old we can scarce recall it - we were happy. 

"I fell ill, and died in her arms. Salem begged my life of the Brothers Grimm, nearly sparking a feud between them in the process, but in the end, they refused, and cursed her. Broken and half-mad with grief, but no less brilliant for her pain, Salem convinced the nations of the world to march against the gods, to seize power and immortality for themselves. The gods' response, you already know. They destroyed the world that had betrayed them, and left it. It was after their departure that Salem, desperate for release, immersed herself in the Well of Darkness, and became a monster. 

"The God of Light sent me back. In addition to the task he set me, the elder brother tried to warn me about Salem's changes. Young and naiive as I was, I heard but did not understand. Upon my first reincarnation, I awoke in a strange and different world, filled with deadly Grimm. I did what I could, awakening the Auras of some, using magic and skill to protect scattered villages, until I heard rumors of one who commanded the same powers as myself - one feared far and wide as a witch. Having encountered my own share of fear and prejudice among humans and Faunus, I discounted these rumors as likely mistakes. Thus bolstered by hope and wishful thinking, I made my way to her. 

"So long had it been since we last saw one another, that mountains had risen and been worn down, and an entire new species of humanity had evolved from the ashes of apocalypse. I wore a different face, a different body. And yet, somehow, she recognized me. Together, we emerged from the forest she had made her home, and together we abandoned secrecy. We appeared to the magicless humans nearby and used our power to crush the Grimm that threatened them. We seemed to them as saviors, as protectors - even as gods. Our rule was swift and unchallenged.

"So blinded was I by the joy of our reunion, I failed to see what she had become. I wanted to guide humanity, to build a civilization that could be safe from the Grimm. She wanted to rule, to conquer. For a time, my urgings for restraint won out.

"Until our daughters came." 

"Four girls, each as sweet and kind as a parent could hope for. And each gifted with the magic that we had thought had been erased from the world forever. I saw in our children the bounty of autumn, the serenity of winter, the joy of summer, and the hope of spring. 

"But Salem saw only power. To her, our daughters represented not a gift to the new humanity, but a replacement for them. One to be imposed, if necessary, by force." 

"I soon realized the depths of my blindness. I agreed to Salem's plan, and that night, I took our daughters and fled.

"Salem found us. Her rage was terrifying. We fought. For the first time we tore at one another not in practice but in truth, wielding all the destructive power of the old magics with intent to kill. We were evenly matched, for a time, but Salem regenerated, and I did not. There was only ever one possible outcome. 

"But neither of us bore the greatest tragedy. Caught in the maelstrom we created, helpless to defend themselves, our daughters did not survive the fight." 

"My condolences. Loss is a terrible thing, I can only imagine how difficult it has been to bear the weight through the years."

"...thank you. I wish...no, there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on it. 

"A strange phenomenon began that night. Our daughters died, but their power did not pass from this world. It instead passed to four young women, seemingly at random, who lived on Remnant at the time. And that power - control of the old magics, and some faint instinctive knowledge of its use - has continued to pass from person to person until this day. This is the magic of the Four Maidens. When a bearer of this power dies, the power passes to the woman foremost in their thoughts at the time of death. If their thoughts were not of a suitable candidate, the power chooses a new host seemingly at random. 

"I cannot fully explain the Maidens' magic. Perhaps our daughters inherited some measure of my own reincarnating soul, or Salem's immortality, or both. A small few of my trusted allies are aware of the Maidens and the relics, but even they do not know of my history with Salem. I...would prefer it stay this way. They know what they need to know, and they see me -"

"Well, you can understand why I do not make a habit of telling this particular story." 

"They see you as a counterpoint to Salem, as someone to look up to. And this would complicate that." She pauses. "It must be isolating, trying to project that image of perfection. I hope we're able to make it unnecessary."

"As do I." 

"Do you know where these Maidens are? We would be happy to help provide them with discreet security if that would be appreciated. We can also try to better understand the mechanism by which the power moves though I'm unsure what might come of such studies. Especially given that ethically speaking we couldn't actually observe the mechanism in action unless one of them was willing to give up the power."

"As yet the only known way to pass on the power is death, and that is not an experiment I'm willing to condone. Perhaps after resurrection has been fully rolled out and vetted, one may volunteer. As for security, I believe the Maidens are more than capable of defending themselves, although an emergency teleport trigger would not go amiss. I would avoid asking for more, if only so I don't have to explain to James why I have allowed a foreign power to provide security for several of our most vital strategic assets." 

"That's very reasonable on both counts. If you're in contact with them you can extend the offer. We're always interested in more mysteries to investigate and death is to be avoided where possible. That said, I think you mentioned three magics at the start."

"I did. The third is the least understood, but still intriguing. You see, a rare and curious ability has surfaced among the people of Remnant. Individuals with this gift are marked at birth with silver eyes, and possess a power to destroy all but the most powerful Grimm with a glance. The power is unreliable and difficult to master, but it seems to relate to the user's state of mind in some way, not unlike many Semblances. Indeed, I initially believed this ability to be a hereditary Semblance, as is sometimes observed. But there have been too many unrelated examples for it to be a Semblance, and it co-occurs with Semblances among those with awakened Aura. Alas, few who display this ability have lived long enough to master it. I have reason to suspect Salem is attempting to hunt down these rare silver-eyed individuals, which is itself reason enough to protect them. At present, I am aware of only five such individuals, and only three of those are currently employing their powers as Huntsmen or Huntresses." 

"Interesting, that definitely seems like the most promising lead. Do you know of one who might be amenable to speaking with us and working towards understanding? Preferably one who has some measure of control over their abilities?"

"The most experienced is an Atlesian Huntress of some renown. She generally works alone, and keeps her face and name hidden, going instead by the bold, but not undeserved, title 'the Grimm Reaper.' She likes to hunt Grimm in the mountains near Mantle, but I expect you can catch her when she returns to town to stock up on supplies. As I recall, she has a somewhat stormy relationship with one of the Atlesian lieutenants, one Caroline Cordovin. James can put you in touch. Failing that, a young Huntress here in Vale might be glad to cooperate, though she lacks the same experience." 

"Thank you, we'll keep you appraised as to what we find. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

"Not at this time. Thank you again, for all that Starlight has done for Remnant so far. The improvements have been quite impressive." 

"Thank you, hopefully we can continue to improve things." She pauses, "There is one more thing which occurs to me. We haven't inquired as to the specifics of your reincarnation out of politeness but now that we've largely addressed your concerns about our methods of immortality I'm curious if you would like us to attempt to preempt your reincarnation with our methods should the worst happen."

"Hmm. The nature of my reincarnation could interfere with your specific brand of revival. It is - not a pleasant process, for all involved." Ozpin sighs. "My current understanding of your technology is that you recreate a body for the Aura to inhabit, and a sort of beacon of attraction for the Aura of the deceased, which then naturally returns to that body, is that correct?"

"That's mostly correct. In our experience a body which is similar enough to the previous one hosting the Aura both in physical properties and mentality is a natural beacon for the Aura."

"When I reincarnate, no new body is created. Instead, my Aura joins that of an existing individual. We exist as independent minds occupying the same body until, after some years or decades pass, our Auras merge. I do not know what would happen if your method were to be applied to my snapshot after I died, but it is unlikely to be good for either spirit. In the best case, one revival might fail entirely; in the worst, it might do irreparable harm to both linked Auras." 

"That's a lot worse than we were expecting. Do you know if there's any delay? We can actually track individual Auras in real time and we can manufacture bodies a lot faster than the systems we've been distributing can. It's possible we could preempt things if we acted quickly enough. I understand being unwilling to make the attempt though. When an Aura is stretched between two bodies it can disrupt a person's magic and with something as... complex and integral as an awoken Aura I could see that causing problems."

"If there is any delay, it is not one I have been able to measure accurately. Fractions of a second, or not even that. If my own Aura were the only one at risk, I might perhaps take the chance, but Auras can be - insistent about things they are linked to. 

"I once knew a set of twins whose Semblance linked their Auras together. They could communicate over any distance, they felt each other's pain and sorrows. But when one of them was killed by Grimm, the other went comatose. At the time, I lacked the tools to fully diagnose their condition, but the second sibling showed signs largely associated with permanent Aura damage, and died not long after. And that was a loose bond compared to the - presumably stronger - linkage the God of Light crafted as my mode of reincarnation, strong enough to repeatedly draw a deceased soul intact from beyond the grave. 

"From the words of the Elder Brother, I gather this method was intended to ensure I would never grow apart from the people I sought to protect. I must admit it has accomplished this goal admirably, but... it is not a means I would have chosen for myself, had I known. Perhaps that is why the Elder Brother did not warn me."