Wake Up As Ozpin

Ozpin was officially concerned.

Not the usual "I'm pretending to be a wise and all-knowing headmaster while internally screaming" kind of concern.

No.

This was real.

Because if time was actually breaking—if things were repeating, but only he remembered them—then that meant he wasn't just stuck in a bad situation.

It meant he was stuck in a loop.

Step One Hundred and Twelve: Figure Out How Many Times This Has Happened.

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Step One Hundred and Thirteen: Gathering Evidence

Ozpin needed more proof.

Jaune noticing something was one thing. His own memories were another.

But he needed data.

So, logically, the best place to start was someone who could verify patterns without realizing it.

Which meant: Glynda.

Step One Hundred and Fourteen: Interrogate Glynda Without Her Knowing.

Ozpin found her in the faculty lounge, sipping tea and pretending she wasn't three reports away from setting a student on fire.

"Professor Goodwitch," he greeted smoothly, taking a seat across from her.

She sighed. "What did you do?"

Ah.

In fairness, that was a reasonable reaction.

Step One Hundred and Fifteen: Deflect.

"I simply wanted to discuss the state of affairs at Beacon," he said smoothly.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Go on."

Ozpin steepled his fingers. "Would you say the past few days have gone… as expected?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What kind of question is that?"

Step One Hundred and Sixteen: Adjust Strategy.

He tilted his head slightly. "Have you noticed anything… unusual?"

Glynda studied him carefully. "Unusual how?"

Ozpin chose his next words very carefully.

"Repetitions. Odd patterns. Things happening twice when they should have only happened once."

A pause.

Glynda frowned slightly.

Step One Hundred and Seventeen: She's Not Dismissing It.

"...Now that you mention it," she murmured, "Pyrrha Nikos stopped by my office yesterday to confirm her training schedule. But I distinctly remember her doing the same thing the day before."

Ozpin's fingers twitched.

"And?" he prompted.

Glynda sighed. "And I assumed she was simply being thorough. Or that I had misremembered. But if you're asking this question—"

She adjusted her glasses. "Something is wrong, isn't it?"

Step One Hundred and Eighteen: Oh Crap.

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Step One Hundred and Nineteen: The Next Subject

If Glynda noticed something, then there was a pattern.

Which meant it was time for another test.

So, naturally, Ozpin found the most observant person possible.

"Miss Nikos," he greeted as he approached Pyrrha near the training grounds.

She turned, smiling politely. "Professor Ozpin."

He studied her carefully. "Tell me—do you ever get the feeling that you've done something twice when you were only supposed to do it once?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "Like… déjà vu?"

Step One Hundred and Twenty: Narrow the Focus.

"Something more than that. An action. A conversation. An event repeating itself exactly."

Pyrrha frowned slightly. "...Actually, I do recall something strange."

Ozpin gestured for her to continue.

She shifted slightly, thinking. "I had a sparring match with Miss Xiao Long earlier this week. It went as expected. But when we rematched yesterday, she predicted one of my openings before I made it."

Step One Hundred and Twenty-One: It's Happening to Everyone.

Ozpin nodded slowly. "And did she realize she had done so?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "She just laughed it off. But I swear—she reacted to something that hadn't happened yet."

Step One Hundred and Twenty-Two: The Pattern Is Worsening.

Ozpin exhaled slowly. "Thank you, Miss Nikos. That will be all."

She nodded, bowing slightly before leaving.

Ozpin turned toward the distant clocktower.

Time was fracturing.

Step One Hundred and Twenty-Three: We Are In So Much Trouble.

---

Step One Hundred and Twenty-Four: What Next?

Ozpin needed to confirm one last thing.

If the world was repeating itself—if time was looping—

Then something had to be causing it.

And he had a very strong suspicion where to look.

His eyes drifted to the massive hourglass in his office.

Step One Hundred and Twenty-Five: Face The Relic.