sirbearington
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Somewhere Over The Rainbow: Chapter 6
🕑 Added 2025-08-13 19:54:47 +0000 UTCReminiscing on Old Times
Tucking the boy in bed, Summer let out an exasperated sigh. The boy really had to push himself huh? Now there he laid, passed out and oblivious to the world while she was left to deal with the mess he made. "You're lucky you're cute," She huffed as she grabbed herself a seat and plopped herself beside the boy.
She honestly should have expected this with how stubborn the boy was, but could anyone blame her for being caught off guard especially after what he did? "Magic," The small voice at the back of her head whispered, "The boy had magic."
She had already suspected as such after finding his aura yet to be unlocked, but only now did it start to sink after she had watched him pull the light of his soul and throw it like some party trick. What the boy had was not merely some strange semblance, but the twins be damned magic.
There was no doubt about it. How else could he have made the dead rise up and throw fireballs around? Not only that, the boy had grown leaps and bounds since she saw him and there seemed to be no end to it. The boy kept getting stronger. She could feel it.
"Ozpin's going to have a field day," She thought to herself, imagining what heights the boy could reach once someone started teaching him.
The boy was going to change the world, she just knew it. No longer would those that fight the grimm fear their end when he could just bring them back. "But… he won't be here forever," The small voice at the back of her head whispered, "He needs to go back to where he came from, to his home… to his family."
Reaching out, she grabbed hold of his hands and felt them beneath her fingers. Despite the callouses, these were not the hands of someone who knew hardship. He was raised a woodsman, yes, but he wasn't raised a hunter.
This was a boy who just days ago didn't know to fear the grim. Could she really ask him to stay just a bit longer just because she could help them in their fight? "This… this isn't his fight," She whispered as he let go of his hands.
A boy like him, a boy who should be around her girl's age, shouldn't be dragged into her people's fight. He should be back in his world, living his life, but now he was going to be dragged into this war that he should have no business at all because of what he possessed. "But he'd smile if she and Ozpin asked him to join them," She thought bitterly.
She had no right to saddle him with this burden, but as memories of her encounter flooded back into her, she gripped her axe tightly. "I'm sorry, Charon." She whispered, "I'm not sure I could keep my promise to help you go back…"
Perhaps at a later date, but not now… not when this world needed him. Right now, however, she needed to keep him safe. She needed to hide him for just a bit longer before she could finally make contact with Ozpin and the others.
As impressive as the boy's abilities were, it now marked him as someone of interest by that witch. If… no, when she learns about him, the Huntress knows that she would stop at nothing to have him. Who knows what she and her ilk would do to him if they got their hands on him.
The power to bring back the dead was already powerful enough as is, but to have her have her grasp at a user of magic? She.. she can't let her have him. If she wanted to keep the world, as well as her own children safe, she needed to protect him at all cost.
"Besides, I'm already dead," She thought wryly, "She can't exactly kill me twice, can she?"
The boy was far too important and they would need to move soon if she was going to protect this village as well. The longer they stay here, the more dangerous it becomes. They will find out soon enough, especially with the talk of the town being the boy's ability, but how could she ask him to leave when they hadn't figured out how to deal with the dead coming back to life?
It was a double edge sword, one that wouldn't care who it brought back. "And what a pain that was," She muttered to herself as she clutched her face, still feeling the phantom sensation of getting half of it torn before she shook her head.
They needed to get that under control, or did they? Could they simply just go and risk repeating this same incident to the next town over? Those thoughts, however, would be pushed to the back of his head as she heard footsteps outside; Someone was coming.
Reaching for her axe, she gripped them tightly, her eyes not leaving the door even once until she heard a knock from the door. "Miss Summer?" The mayor asked, "May I come in?"
Shoulder sagging and grip loosening, she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Oum, it's only the mayor," She whispered as she got up and walked over to the door.
The man was no threat being nothing more than just a simple administrator to this sleepy town. He was also not a pawn to the witch. If he were, her lackeys and the grimm would have already been all over them by now especially with all the commotion, but they had yet to attack.
He was innocent and she would like to keep it that way. There was no need for her to pull him in this mess after all the help he freely gave. Glancing back to her charge, she considered turning the man away, but she shook her head. It would be poor showing for her to turn the man away especially after what he did for them.
Opening the door, she greeted the man, "Hey there Mister Mayor, nice evening we're having?" Seeing the strained smile on his lips, her eyes wandered before they spotted the gaggle of girls towards the end of the hallway. Smirking, she tilted her head at the man as she asked, "Your girls asked you to check on the boy, didn't they?"
This sent the girls scampering, letting out panic squeaks while leaving their poor father behind. "Was it that obvious?" The man sighed as he reached up and pinched his brow, "They're… rather taken with the boy."
Holding back a chuckle, Summer replied, "He does have that charm to him." With those striking red eyes, his snow white hair and that smile of his, she had no doubt the boy had broken a few hearts before. Thankfully, it seems he was oblivious to glances sent his way.
Crossing her arm and leaning against the door frame, she asked, "Kidding aside, is there anything else I could do for you Mister Mayor?"
"Oh, I'm just here to check on the boy," The man replied, "Aside from my daughter's insistence, he had been out for quite some time now." Glancing over her shoulder, he noted, "Since this afternoon I believe?" Wringing his hands, he asked, "Is he alright?"
Smiling back, Summer waved off the man's concern, "He's fine, just a bit tuckered out." Sure the boy was a bit pale and his breathing shallow, but he was snoring away as he tucked his blanket around himself. He merely exhausted himself, nothing more.
"You won't believe how many times I've seen kids exhaust themselves after unlocking their semblance, for the first time," She replied. Yes, they have powers, but that doesn't mean that they can use it irresponsibly. "But yes, he just needs some bed rest and he'd be fresh as daisies by sunrise so there's nothing for your daughters to be worried about." She assured the man.
"Oh thank Oum," The man sighed, "That's at least one last headache from my daughters." Glancing towards the door and out the hallway, he smiled fondly. "They can be rather stubborn, especially when they fancy something.
"Believe me, I know it all too well," Summer chuckled, remembering her eldest daughter's antics and how her youngest kept following the example of her older sister. "They can be a pain, but we'd still do everything for them just to see them smile." She missed them so much…
"Indeed," The man nodded before letting out a yawn. "Oh my, look at the time," He blinked as he glanced at his watch, "Now as much as I'd like to chat, it's getting quite late. I do apologize for the bother."
"Goodnight, Miss Summer" The man smiled as he gave them a nod before turning away, finally leaving them be. Summer was about to turn in for the day as well, when she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh Mister Mayor! One last thing," She called out, making the man turn and look back at her with a questioning look. "I know it's a bit much, but do you mind if I use your CCTS Terminal?" She asked, "I just need to call a colleague of mine." She really should have called earlier, but it had honestly slipped her mind.
"I would have called sooner if my scroll wasn't dead," She frowned, feeling the weight of her now useless device in her pocket. "I really wish I could just toss it away." But the thing stubbornly comes back. "Just a fact of being a ghost, I suppose"
Staring back at her, the man raised a brow as he noted, "Must be quite the colleague if you're using those terminals."
"Believe me, I'd rather not use these lines and just use a regular call," Summer replied as she paused briefly to look back at the kid, "But this is urgent." The sooner that Ozpin knew, the better. She needed to get the boy out of here as soon as she could, for all their sakes.
Thankfully, the man wouldn't ask much more about it as she turned around and gestured for her to follow him. "It seems we're going to be living through interesting times," He noted, something which Summer couldn't help but nod along to.
"Interesting times, indeed," She thought to herself as they went up a flight of stairs leading to the attic where a heavily padlocked door would greet them.
"Now here we are," The man paused as he reached in for his pockets, "Let me just get my keys."
As she raised a brow at the man, he answered back, "My daughters tried to use the emergency hot line to flirt with a boy from the next town over." Fishing out a ring full of keys, he added, "Wracked up quite the fee and fines those girls did!"
"Girls will be girls," Summer chuckled as she shook her head, "But don't worry, I won't be here for too long."
Grinning back, the man laughed, "You better!" It would take quite a bit of jiggling the keys inside the knob before the telltale click finally echoed out, revealing the lone radio set sitting in the middle of the room.
Plain and unassuming, it would be easy to chalk off this set as nothing more than any other radio set, but it was the miles of thick cables that snaked from the table and out to the window where it would attach directly to the CCTS Dish that made it special. If someone needed to make a direct call to any order town, this was the way to do it.
"I assume you're familiar with the controls, yes?" The man asked as Summer walked over to the set and ran her fingers across the dusty set of keys and knobs, "They are a bit outdated so I do apologize." True to his words, the set didn't even have a screen on; just a microphone and some speakers. Talk about old tech.
Hands reaching out, memories slowly came back as she turned the knobs and tuned into the familiar station. It was just like how she remembered it. "I actually prefer it this way," She answered, reminiscing on times gone by, when scrolls were a bit clunkier and they needed something more powerful to call across the continent.
"Back when I was still hunting, these were relatively recent tech!" She grinned. Time sure does fly by, huh? Hopefully, she wasn't that far behind.
Opening his mouth, the man looked at her in confusion before a dawning sense of realization washed over him. "Ah, forgive me," He smiled, "You simply sound so lively and look so young that I almost forgot you aren't one of the living."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be turning for the night." Making himself scarce, the man made his exit. "Just be sure to lock the door when you're finished!" He called out before closing the door behind, finally giving some peace and quiet.
She would wait a bit, checking the radio for any extra features that shouldn't be there before she finally made her call. "Now let's see if I still remember it," She muttered as she turned into a familiar station, one dedicated to her and her alone. Several years might have passed, but surely Ozpin wouldn't have changed it, right
Sitting there, she strained her ears, listening closely as the static hissed out of the microphone. "Come on," She whispered, clutching the receiver close to her chest as she prayed someone was on the other side, "Pick up…"
As the minutes stretched on, Summer started to lose hope. Had he already patched this channel out? It's not like he needed it after she passed away. Fortunately, someone would pick up as a familiar voice echoed out of the speaker. "You have some nerve using this restricted station. Do you have any idea who you just called?"
Hearing Ozpin's stern voice once after so long, Summer couldn't help but grin. He was still the same old teacher even after all these years and just made him all the better to mess with. "So this isn't the Fuzzbear Pizzaria?" She asked, making the man sputter from behind the speaker.
"I swear, if this is some kind of sick joke then you…" The man hissed before he trailed off, leaving him on hold for a bit before he spoke up, "Summer?"
"Took you long enough," She chuckled.
"Is… Is that really you?" The man asked, his voice cracking just a bit.
Feeling a soft smile stretched across his lips, she answered, "In the flesh, or rather in my ghostly form?" That particular expression doesn't really work when she's a ghost with all this soulstuff (or Ectoplasma as the boy described it).
"I'm not exactly alive you see" She explained as she tried to find her words, but failed to do so. "It's hard to explain," She hissed in frustration before waving it off, "The important thing is I'm back and boy have I missed a lot."
Pausing for a bit, the man asked once again, "H-how?" She could practically hear the disbelief in the man's voice, something she rarely heard. So it was that out of the ordinary, huh? "It's just your back. Just.. how?"
Bringing the mic up closer, she replied, "Would you believe I found a boy so cute he bought me back from the dead?" She wasn't even lying. She came back simply because a cute boy just so happened to pass back.
That got a laugh out of the man. "It's definitely you alright," He chuckled as a burst of static briefly interrupted them, "Only you would be so boy crazy to do such."
"Come on Ozpin," She grinned, "I'm not that bad." Pausing briefly, she admitted, "Well, maybe just a bit?" Ok, she might have a weakness with cute boys, but that doesn't mean she had a problem. She was married for Oum's sake!
Her friend, however, thought otherwise. "Of course, of course." Pausing briefly, the man said fondly, "Still… It's good to have you back."
"I'm glad to be back as well," She replied before grinning wildly, "And let me tell you, being dead wasn't fun!" Did having to be dead have to make her so numb? Thankfully, she didn't have to suffer from that for long. Now, she just had to catch up to all the things she missed.
Leaning close to the radio, she asked, "So, anything I missed? Also, how's Raven by the way? Are my daughters in Beacon? Is my wife still a good girl? Please… please tell me." Could anyone really blame her for gushing a bit? She finally got to talk to an old friend, but it really has to rain right now.
"Umm, sorry about that Ozpin," She choked out, sniffing as she wiped at the wetness in her cheeks "I think there's a leak here." Stupid rain, why did it have to be so silent?"
"I'm sure it's just your tears, Summer," The man choked back as both of them laughed. Oum, she missed this so much. Trailing off, the man spoke up, "Summer… I shouldn't have sent you to that mission."As her tears fell freely, Ozpin kept being silly, speaking nonsense to her. "Summer, if I knew that it was a trap, I wouldn't have-!"
Whatever he wanted to speak, however, she had no intention of hearing as she cut him off. "Ozpin, I knew what I got myself into when I got into that mission," It might have been by his orders that she died, but she and Raven were the one that freely accepted it.
It was her fault that she got into this mess and she wasn't about to wrack her mentor with guilt. Rubbing at the corner of her eyes, she continued, "I knew that risk so it's not your fault." Grinning wryly, she added, "And do you really want our first talk in years to be a sob fest?"
"I-I suppose not," The man replied as she heard him sniffing and struggling to hold back his tears, "I do apologize. I'm just a bit overwhelmed here."
"Damn it Oz," She whined, feeling tears threatening to spill once more, "You know I'm weak to this kind stuff." Just hearing his close friend be so emotional was just getting through her. Did he really have to cry for her?
"You were the heart of your team," The man, his voice growing steadier as he calmed down, "But getting back on topic, is it really because of a boy?"
"Is it really that hard to believe?" Summer asked. The man had magic, but he couldn't believe that some boy could bring her back?
"Yes," Ozpin replied, "Resurrection, even a temporary one, is far beyond the preview of semblance and even my own diminished powers."
Humming, the man mused, "The Artifacts combined perhaps could bring people back… but, no. They can't." Letting out a hiss of frustration, he added, "They're all in the vault so they can be… so what did the boy have that brought you back?"
"About that," Summer replied, considering her words before she replied, "He has magic."
"Forgive me, but I find that hard to believe," The man replied dismissively, "Are you sure it's not just his semblance or perhaps something else?"
Running her hand across her hair, she added, "I know it sounds crazy," Which it was, "But believe me, the things this boy could do is just something else." And what abilities the boy had. "He could make ghosts like me whole, he could use a vacuum to suck us up and he could shape and control his literal soul."
Each and every ability seemed more fantastical than the last, but she had seen it with her own eyes. "I know it's hard to believe, Ozpin," Summer whispered, "But the kid's the real deal." Biting her lips, she dared to hope, "I think… I think he could help us Ozpin."
As she waited for Ozpin to reply, silence would greet her. Frowning, she asked, "Ozpin? Are you there?" She knew the man for as long as she could remember and to hear him grow silent, she couldn't help but feel dread fill her veins.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he finally spoke up. "Did… Did the boy come with anyone else?" The man choked out, fear and what sounded like desperation dripping from his voice,"A brother perhaps?"
"No, he came alone," Summer replied as she shook her head. For a moment, she considered asking these two brothers before pushing it back for now. Perhaps at a later time as the man spoke up once more.
"Unfortunate," The man sighed in disappointment before he continued, "Now about this boy. Can you tell me where he came from?"
"He's not from around her and I mean in the literal sense," Summer replied. "Ever watched someone just pop out of a fog and claim they're from an entirely different world?" She asked. Even now, she couldn't quite believe it. A boy from another world. Now that wasn't something anyone would see everyday. "Freakiest thing I've seen as well."
It seems, however, that Ozpin knew something. Something she was unfortunately all too familiar with, "...Dorothy and Toto?"
"Wait, you know of the Wizard of Oz?" She blurted out in confusion. Oh, she knew the man had many secrets, but this? She had only ever heard this story once from Charon and to hear it from her mentor took her by surprise. How much did he know?
As she leaned closely, he chuckled. "It's a long story, but yes, I know. I'm a rather long-lived man, you know?"
Pouting, Summer grunted, "You really didn't answer my question…" Of course now he'd start dodging her question. She got that being all mysterious was cool, but did he really have to push it this hard? It was frustrating!
"Oh did I?" The man replied, "Oh silly me." As she rolled her eyes and let out a huff, he changed subjects, "Still, A lost Boy and one with Magic. Interesting."
"I take it that this isn't the first time you've seen someone crossover, huh?" Summer replied as she shifted on her seat.
"Indeed," the man nodded. This boy wasn't the first to cross to our world and he wouldn't be the last," He added, "While their memories had long since faded, all of them left a mark on this world, some of which we could still feel to this day."
"This boy would shake the world," Ozpin added gravely.
"For the better?" Summer asked, daring to hope.
"Or for worse," Ozpin grimaced before she heard the telltale tap of fingers dancing across a keyboard. "I'll call in transport and have you pick me up by morning," He told her, "If that boy brought you back can do as you claim then maybe, just maybe…"
"Now I'll have to stop you right there Ozpin," Summer replied, "As much as I appreciate the lift, can you hold on that for a bit?" Taking a deep breath, she sighed, "The boy couldn't control who he resurrects. Something we found out when we strolled up to Janus."
"The boundary town?" Ozpin whispered, "Oh dear."
"Yeah," Summer grimaced. "It was a real mess alright." Right now, the boy was a danger not just for everyone, but to himself as well. "There's also her messing things up," She added, "If she finds you making a move, she might do something."
"I see," Ozpin hummed, his frustration practically oozing from behind the speaker, something which Summer could empathize with. It simply was too dangerous to make too much noise. Right now, the boy was nothing more than a rumor even if a whole town knew of him.
If the boy was to get dragged over a more population center, the boy would simply be too much to ignore. "And… I'm also not ready yet," She added as she bit her lips, "I'm not sure I could face my family after everything that happened."
"She's your wife and they are your children," Ozpin reminded her, "They still love you no matter what happens."
"I know," She hissed as her shoulder sagged, "I'm just not ready yet…" She knew they still loved her still, but she was still afraid. It's been so long… have they already moved on? Was he nothing more than a memory to them now?
Running her hand across her hair, she whispered, "Just give me some time to sort myself out." She needed to face them eventually, but not now. Not yet. "And besides, I'm training the kid up." She knew it was a flimsy excuse, but still she clung to it.
"He wants to be a hunter and with what he's capable off, he'd need all the training he could get for the coming months" She added. Perhaps it was selfish of her to use the boy as an excuse to be away from her family, but she needed this.
"I understand," Her mentor replied, "But I will be picking you two up." As she opened her mouth to protest, he explained, "It's simply far too dangerous to have both of you stay in that town. If he can't stay near a city, then perhaps a facility over in Atlas might work."
Grimacing, she sighed, "I understand."
"You have the end of this week till I send Glynda over," The man told her, "Till then, take care." With that, the radio finally cut off, leaving her alone to her thoughts.
"A week huh…" She whispered as she leaned back and gazed up to the ceiling while her mind wandered to the memories of her daughter and her wonderful wife, "Will I be ready in a week?"
A/N:
Jesus christ, that took more out of me than I wanted to. Three soft reworks even with all the dialogue already set. Sorry about that. I just needed to nail the right feel to it. There was also so many awkward dialogue I had to tinker with. Thankfully, that's done and I'm moving over to writing Rogue Trader! See ya in three days!
Comments
Kyllix
Ironically, Salem might actually want to protect him as well, since part of her motivation is the belief that the magicless version of humanity that arose after the gods left is basically just a cruel parody of what she sees as human, completely unworthy of life. Having magic, separate from what little ozma had left, immediately makes him an actual human in Salem's eyes, and therefore more important than anyone else on the planet except maybe Ozma. Unless she's completely lost it by this point, but if she was truly motivated to destroy humanity, she'd have won by now.
