The Names We Had At Dawn

Okay, so I’m pretty sure a lot of people aren’t going to be happy with me writing a sympathetic Salem, but I wanted to write a Salem that was…fairly harmless, all things considered. I think she has the potential to be a more interesting character outside of her BBEG canonical schick. I’ve also renamed Ozpin and Salem to fit more with the idea of them being extremely ancient beings that have been reincarnated thousands of times. Salem’s name is Sophronia and Ozpin’s name is Oneias. And yes, this relationship is queerplatonic. They aren’t really in love but they’re super committed to each other and have been for millennia. As for the “age difference” tag, I specified that this was a physical age difference. They’re both consenting adults at this point (25 and 55) and they have full memory of their previous lives. It’s literally just that Ozpin was reincarnated a few decades before Salem was. This fic also isn’t beta read like the tags say and there will be mistakes. I’m writing this by hand and I’m using software to convert my handwriting. I’m catching the most egregious errors and formatting mistakes, but I’m not catching everything.

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Oneias sat on the front porch of his house, smoking a pipe. He knew tobacco caused cancer if used for too long... Previous civilisations had long proven the link. But it was a vice he couldn't give up easily. Plus, it wasn't like he was smoking all day, everyday... It was only something he did as a winding down ritual before bed. Sophie didn't particularly like it. but it didn't matter: they would die no matter what. What took them varied, but he'd suffered so many deaths at this point. Some peaceful. some violent, some incredibly painful. At this point, they all kind of blurred together with very few standing out. He wasn't sure what would take this body. Thus far, he'd been born into an area and era of peace where he didn't have to worry about much. He just wondered where Sophie was. It must be another case of them not being reincarnated at the same time again.They were usually reborn within a few months to a few years of each other, but sometimes. They were reborn decades apart due to the trauma they had undergone in that previous lifetime. He didn't know the full workings of the Echoed Plane, but few did. Only the most skilled—and stupid, in his opinion—Liminal Mages dare enter the Echoed Plane where souls were reborn, reforged, and reworked to become new people in their next life. Few retained memories as heard Sophie did though. Many had been through countless lives but most weren't Awakened as he and Sophie were... Part of him almost felt bad for them, but he also wished he didn't remember all the strife and conflict that had existed over the millennia. At this point,though, all he was doing was waiting for Sophie. He missed her immensely. They had been through so much together and would continue to live through countless more lifetimes. They would see Nyt her.'s fall in due time along with all the other currently extant nations. Nothing could stop the ebb and flow of i me and the March of progress. Nyt her is was slowly marching toward some level of industrialisation again. They had figured out how to adapt cars to fit their current tech level although they had a long way to go before full industrialisation. He wasn't looking forward to another industrial age. This world had adapted to people being more in sync with nature again... The last industrial age had killed off so many species and upending so many ecosystems… It was only through repopulation and conservation efforts that once-extinct species had been repopulated. He just wanted the world to remain as it was now, but he couldn't stop the inevitable March of progress especially as they pulled old technology from the ruins of long-forgotten eras. However, he blinked and sat up in his chair a bit when he felt a shift. No, there was no way. It couldn't be. But the feeling was undeniable. He put his pipe out and scrambled out of his chair, letting out a shrill whistle. Hoof beats quickly came and an iridescent, pale blue horse came skittering around the corner. Aurelen stopped in front of the porch and One i as mounted. He wasn't at a not bareback at this point in this body's life; it made his bones creak and joints hurt for days afterward. But he had to go meet her. He knew she wasn't far. Maybe an hour or so away. Solthari Skyborn were the smoothest horse he had ever ridden. but he could still feel the impact of each hoof no matter the gait. "Got. Fast!" It was all he could muster right now. All he wanted was to get to her. Aurelen let out a loud whinny and they a. 'twas so smooth he knew the stallion had gone into the zephyrstep gait. It was essentially riding on the wind which was good for his joints; he wouldn't feel the impact of Aurelen's hooves on the ground which he was grateful for. The gait wasn't as fast as a gallop but it was fast enough that it'd drastically cut down the time needed to get to her.

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Sophronia sat in the saddle of her Solthari Skyborn mare, Nysera. The world moved past in a way that made it seem as if she were in a dream. It'd been several centuries since she'd last seen Nysera, but the horse was always glad to see her no matter how long they'd been apart and no matter how many times she'd changed appearance. Getting to the Skydawn Expanse—at least that was what it had been called in her first life—was always a challenge and a danger. It was a place where the Arcane currents were at their strongest and only the most stalwart mages could even survive there. Nysera kept up the zephyrwind gait though she knew the man well enough to sense she was firing. The gait could be held for a few hours due to its magical nature, but it would still take a toll on the Solthari if pushed too hard. "All right, girl; enough. Let's get you some water." Nysera dropped into a walk and found a nearby stream. Sphronia dismounted and took off Nysera's bridle and saddle. Nysera leaned her head down and started to slurp up as much water as she could. Sophronia hadn't intentionally pushed her; Nysera had chosen to go as long as she had. Sophronia would never intentionally cause harm to Nysera. They had formed a pact millennia ago and Nysera knew how important it was for her to find Oneias. They had been partners since their first incarnation and did everything they could to find eachother again when reborn. However, the sun was beginning to disappear on the horizon and she knew how bad it was to travel on a moonless night. The stars didn't offer enough light to travel by on such a night and she was incredibly off the beaten path. She missed the industrial eras when everything was predictable and travel was easy. Nysera Made travel easier in these more primitive times, but getting to the Skydawn Expanseandsurviving there long enough to find Nysera was always a major hassle. She missed cars and heated seats and air conditioning and affordable hotels... She knew Oneias preferred these more primitive times, but she definitely preferred the comfort and predictability of more advanced times. Not to mention there were far fewer bugs and bug repellent in those times. She sighed and got in the saddlebags, beginning to setup camp. She knew that traveling on her own was dangerous, but she didn't have much choice this time around. She had been born into one of the Great Houses this time around and one of the most awful ones. They had been abusive beyond words and deeply believed in keeping bloodlines "pure. "she shuddered as she pasted away what this life's sire had done to her. She didn't care about virginity or anything of the like, but what he'd done to her had been unspeakable. It was only her vast knowledge of magic and herbs had kept her from falling pregnant to him. She shivered as she continued setting up her tent. It had been several years since she'd last been in that house bats he knew two decades of trauma wouldn't go away that easily. She wished it could but it didn't. It could takecenturiesto get over traumathissevere. And there were no psychologists or medication for that in this current era. The only way to deal with it was to have a strong support system and people that could help her cope. Unfortunately, The reincarnation they went through every few decades left them incredibly isolated from the people who were either new souls or simply didn't remember. They were the odd ones out, really. They were so magically powerful Xyphos the Death forger couldn't reshape them. They should have ascended long ago but neither of them wanted to be in service of the Arcanum Lords. But they couldn't go to the Underworld either because they'd be in Xyphos' realm and with one of the Arcanum Lords which neither of them wanted either. So they were stuck in this endless cycle of reincarnation, gaining more and more power and no way of escaping. By time she had finished setting up camp, Nysera had finished drinking and was cropping at grass, flicking her periwinkle tail to get at the mosquitoes and flies droning around her. However, her head jerked up and she let out a shrill whinny. Sophronia blinked and turned around. She could hear faint hoof eats as well as a rush of wind. A moment later, a familiar Solthari Skyborn seemed to appear out of nowhere. She didn't recognise the man on Auden's back, but she knew that a Solthari Sky born only bonded with one person, reincarnated or not, in their lifetimes. A Solthari would only respond to the person they had bonded with even if that person retained no memories of their previous life. With all of that in mind, a smile erupted on her face and she ran over and he dismounted. He held his arms open and she flew into them. "Oneias!" she'd missed him so much. Two decades of pure abuse and no support had left her feeling deeply insecure and uncertain about everything. But now… she was complete. She was in his arms again and,for the moment, the trauma didn't matter. She was with him again and she wanted their daily rituals again. She'd missed themsomuch. All of it. Everything. All she'd wanted was to be with him again. Right now, nothing else muttered. "Sophie..." His voice was soft and already beginning to creak with age. His hair was fully grey already, so she had no idea how long he'd been without her. She chuckled. "Oh, That's not my name; I'm Salem." He gave a hoarse, breathy laugh and shook his head. I'm Ozpin now." She laughed and buried her head in his shoulder. It was an old joke at this point, but a tradition in and of itself. They were given new names each time they were reincarnated and joked that they were no longer soph on ia and one ias any longer. But it was the only time they spoke their new names to each other unless quoting what one of their family members had said. She would be glad to never hear the name Salem as long as she continued this cycle of reincarnation. It was seared into her mind as something purely negative that she hoped she'd never have to revisit in her life. She really wanted to be able to pn this all behind her, but she knew it wasn't that easy. She'd be dealing with the ramifications for at least a few lifetimes to come… "I've missed you so much," she breathed. "The past few decades have been... hard." That was an understatement. She hadn't started showing symptoms of PTSD yet, but she knew it was just a matter of time. She had been in survival mode pretty much since her youngest years in this life. Her father and uncles had assaulted her and molested her times beyond count. She'd grown numb to it by now and simply dissociated. "I'm sorry. I'm going to have a lot of bad reactions and triggers that I don't know about and can't predict. This lifetime was particularly bad. It'll probably take me several lifetimes to fully come to terms with what happened and deal with it." Oneias shook his head. "It's all right, Sophie. We've both had more than one lifetime that spills into others. Though you've never apologised for it. How bad was it?" She sighed. "can we go back to your place before I disclose? I've been on the road for over a year at this point and I almost can't remember what a bed feels like.” It was a half-hearted attempt at a joke. She could remember what a bed felt like, but it'd been so long. Her back was so tied up in all sorts of knots and she was exhausted. She hadn't ridden this long in several lifetimes. Plus,this body wash out of shape since she had almost no ability to do physical activity. She had been locked in the house and not really allowed to leave even with supervision. Oneias nodded. "That's fine, Sophie. Let's get your camp packed up and then we can go back." They took a bit to pack camp and it was well and truly dark by time they finished. She hated how dark it was especially on moonless nights, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Thankfully, Oneias casta spell that lit the area around them and made it easy to see. She was so glad he had magic because hens had been severely limited by this lifetime's sire. He was no father with how he treated the children he'd had. She was glad to finally be rid of him. She would never have to see him or any of those fuckers again. They got on their Skyborn and took off at a trot, a comfortable but heavy silence settling over them.They didn't always need to talk but it didn't make right now any easier. She could sense his worry for her, but she really just wanted to get to somewhere she was truly safe. She knew she'd have to talk about what she'd been through eventually but she wasn't ready for it yet. She would give bare minimum details and that would be it. Once she felt safe, she knew she was going to collapse like a house of cards on a blustery day. All she wanted was to be safe with Oneias again, but it would only be a handful of decades here. He'd die before her; she would probably kill this body when that time came because she wanted this life to be over with already. A couple of hours passed and they reached a small cabin that stood on the edge of a prairie. It was a a quaint little thing with a barn but no fencing for pastures. She could see twinkling lights in the distance of a small town bathe had clearly eked out an existence here; the land had been worked and such. Honestly, it was going to be a nice little place to live out the remainder of their days in this lifetime. Another decade or two sounded great... as long as it was with him and she had no contact with the so-called family that she'd been born into this time around. It was always the luck of the draw and she'd just so happened to pull the short stick this time. They dismounted and Oneias took Nysera and Aurelen to the burn. Sophronia took her saddlebags and went into the house. A fire had died down to embers in the fireplace, casting a faint glow across the room. It felt spooky to be in a house by herself when she was so used to being surrounded by this life's family and servants. She honestly welcomed it, but it did feel strange to be alone. Cheras would take care of the horses so she wasn't too worried about that. Thankfully, he had what was a magical lamp—called an 'illuminator' by this era—and she picked it up. Sheto and what was clearly his room and sat the lamp down. It was only early spring, so it was still chilly. She'd have to Stoke the them here, but she knew better than to leave a hearth fire unattended. She put everything away by lamp light and then headed back out to the main room. She stoked the fire and it came back to life, crackling merrily by time Oneias returned. "It looks like you found the lamp… but why not just use your magic, Sophie?" He sat down in a chair near the fireplace, looking at her. She sighed. "This family sealed the vast majority of my magic away when I was a child." She shook her head. "I'm not going to disclose everything tonight, Asi. There's just... so much." She put her hand over her face. Talking about things wasn't going to be fun. She'd been in survival mode this whole lifetime and then fight or flight the past year while running away from her family. All she wanted was to have a quiet couple of decades with One as and then hopefully be reincarnated again together. Hopefully their next lifetime would be way less dramatic than this one… "Would you like some tea? It's not our usual brew but one I put together myself." Sophronia nodded. "That sounds good." Oneias put the kettle over the fire and two crude mags. They were silent while the water boiled and the tea brewed. The warmth from the mug felt good in her hands as she sighed. "Remember the Velbrachte family from our first round of reincarnation? That's pretty much what I was born into this time around." She sighed and shook her head. It was a name only they would remember as nobody remembered the era that long ago. Oneias winced. "Seriously? And they treated you like that, Sophie? I… have no woods. I'm sorry." She rested her head against his shoulder. "The only reason I didn't have children by this lifetime's father was because of my knowledge of herbs and what little magic I had access to. They were obsessed with blood purity and keeping it in the family. He was so, so angry that I didn't have any children by him or my uncles. I had several little sisters this lifetime but I couldn't save them... Getting out on my own was hard enough." Tears filled her eyes. guilt gnawing at her heart. It was selfish to flee without them, but escaping by herself had been enough of a feat. There was just no feasible way for her to get them out as well without her magic. And she wasn't going back, either. She had almost no magic to work with. Going back would mean certain death in a spiritual and emotional sense. She would've already been out of there a decade ago if not for the seal on her magic, probably sooner. But no, this lifetime's sire had sealed away her most important asset, the one thing she could use to keep herself safe. She didn't want to leave the younger girls, but there had seriously been no feasible way to take three other people with her. "I wish I could have saved them…but getting out by myself was hard enough. I don't really have much access to my magic…” “What...? Why not?" She sighed. "they were secretly Void Worshipers and used forbidden rituals to seal most of my magic away." Oneias sighed. "I'm so sorry, Sophie. This town has some powerful mages and I was a Void Worshiper at one time. I might be able to figure out what they did to you. But not tonight. Tonight, we rest." "That sounds good." They fell silent and finished their tea, then withdrew to Oneias' bedroom. She found herself unwilling to change in front of him but pushed it down, then climbed into bed with him. He kissed her forehead and she smiled. He took her hand and cuddled close to her. For the first time in two decades, she felt well and truly safe.