Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes (A Sequel to STRQ) [Book 2]

Chapter 5: Summer

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Before this chapter begins, I have a few things to say first. Starting with this chapter, the concept of the Mega-Faunus will be introduced. This concept was NOT my idea, it was an idea a good friend allowed me to add into my story. Their username is SpartanLyon and they are in the process of writing a RWBY fanfic where the main character is a Mega-Faunus. So, if any of you are looking to read a good RWBY story, or are curious about Mega-Faunus, I would highly suggest checking him out. Without further ado, here is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

It was around eight at night when we decided to visit Ozpin. I had called him around an hour before to let him know we were coming.

"I didn't think we would be coming back to Beacon this soon," Qrow said, as we walked inside the elevator.

I pressed a few buttons and watched as the doors closed.
"Yeah. Me too. I kinda miss the place," I admitted.

Qrow nodded. "I do too."

We waited in silence until the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Qrow followed close behind me as I walked up to the door of Ozpin's office. I pressed the buzzer and waited.

"Come in," Ozpin invited.

We walked inside and saw Ozpin sitting behind his desk. He smiled at us.

"Welcome back, Summer. And I see you've brought Qrow with you as well. I didn't expect you to come back here so soon," he said.

We walked over to his desk and sat across from him.
"It's nice to see you again, Professor," I said.
"I'm sure you're wondering why we wanted to meet with you tonight. Well... Qrow and I were looking at the missions you sent us, and we settled on a search and rescue mission."

Ozpin nodded. "I see. Would you like to have more details on this mission? I'll need to see exactly who you're searching for."

"Their names are Damien Umbra and Della Umbra. And we couldn't help but notice that they looked a little... different from the other Faunus we've seen," Qrow explained.

Ozpin's smiled faded and he leaned back away from us.
"I... wasn't expecting you to accept that mission. At least not for a while," he said quietly.

"Can you explain why that couple had multiple animal traits? Is it a rare genetic thing?" Qrow asked.

Ozpin shook his head. "Not exactly. The couple in that photo are a special type of Faunus which I've taken to calling Mega-Faunus."

"Okay. So how exactly did they get to have several animal traits if it's not genetic?" I asked.

Ozpin hesitated a bit before answering. "There... might've been a bit of magic involved."

I stared at him, shocked. "What?!"

"Why would you do something like that? Are regular Faunus not good enough for you?" Qrow demanded.

"It's not what you think," Ozpin replied quickly. "I only used magic on Faunus who volunteered. And it wasn't that much. In fact, I think I used more magic on you and your sister than I did with these Faunus."

"So? What was the purpose is doing all that?" Qrow asked.

"I needed some additional help dealing with Salem and her followers. So I created a stronger, more advanced species of Faunus that I hoped would be able to help. Unfortunately... there were some mishaps and unforeseen consequences."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Well... there is the chance that they could become feral. If they get too stressed in battle, they can loose themselves... permanently. I'm not sure if this is caused by the magic amplifying their primal instincts or whether it's because their bodies can't handle the magic itself. I decided to do this because my past method wasn't working..."

"What else have you tried?" Qrow asked.

Ozpin suddenly became defensive. "I don't see why that's any of your business, Mister Branwen. All you need to know is that there's a Mega-Faunus couple that needs to be rescued."

"Um... okay."

"Now, is there anything I can help you with?" he asked.

"Not at the moment. Thank you Professor," I said, quickly rising from my chair and grabbing Qrow hand.

I dragged him to the elevator and pressed the button to return to the first floor.
"You don't have to be so rough, Summer," Qrow said once we were outside. "Why were you in such a hurry?"

"I don't know. I just started to feel very uncomfortable in there. Besides, we have a mission to prepare for. The sooner we get home and start packing, the sooner we can head out and help Damian and Della."

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. You have a point."

We arrived back at the apartment later that evening. As soon as we walked through the door, we got busy packing the essentials for the mission.

"So... what do you think about the whole Mega-Faunus thing?" Qrow asked, sharpening his blade.

I looked up from packing our bags. "It's... interesting I suppose. I don't think Ozpin is telling the entire story, through."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's just a vibe I got. And he seemed to get really defensive when you asked him to elaborate on his past method for dealing with Salem..."

Qrow stopped sharpening his blade and his face suddenly looked concerned.

"You can't be serious, Summer. Are you starting to doubt Oz? I know his methods are a bit... odd. I don't think he would ever lie to us. I know he's kept things from us in the past, but I trust him. Don't you?"

I sighed and finished packing before giving him my answer.
"I... guess so. I'm probably just tired. I'm going to call it a night. We're leaving first thing tomorrow, so don't stay up too late, okay?"

He smiled at me. "I'll join you in a bit after I'm done here. Get some rest."

I nodded and headed to the bedroom to lay down. The last thing I heard before dozing off was the sound of Qrow sharpening his weapon.