Jaune pushed open the changing room door, revealing rows of large matte-gray electronic lockers lined neatly against the walls. It was still early enough that most of the LUCID operatives his age hadn't arrived yet, leaving the place in that comfortable silence Jaune had come to enjoy.
His own locker was tucked near the back. He ran his thumb along the cool steel of the lockpad, and the biometric scanner pulsed with soft blue light before releasing the latch.
Inside, neatly organized, was his Rune Frame.
The armor looked deceptively simple when idle but it was a marvel of runic tech, able to protect operatives from many strong grimm blows.
He slipped into it piece by piece, the inner material cool against his skin. The under suit sealed automatically at his wrists and collar with a soft hiss, each locking in with the muted clicks of magnetic seals.
Jaune exhaled, stretching his shoulders, feeling the weight of the armor settle comfortably. Despite its complex design, the Rune Frame moved as easily as a second skin. That was the beauty of LUCID engineering, high-tech precision merged seamlessly with modern engineering.
He glanced at his reflection in the small locker mirror. Jaune's hair was longer now, reaching his shoulders. But the greatest difference were his eyes. It had a greater depth. And every time he walked the dream, he felt like someone else entirely. Someone sharper. More deliberate.
His gaze drifted down to the weapons rack.
Two swords rested there.
Crocea Mors—was a blend of old and new, an sword reimagined. Its polished blade caught the room's light, running along the impossibly thin monomolecular edge. But what set it apart now was the glowing rune near the hilt, seemingly etched into the alloy itself. The small, radiant sigil resembled the shape of a sword, a faint golden shimmer that pulsed like a heartbeat.
That was his SwordRune.
He had imbued it a while back, into Crocea Mors as a single-use rune. A trump card. If activated, the sword would split into multiple echoes that he would be able to temporarily control using his Will through pure telekinetic extension—allowing him to fight with countless phantom blades at once.
He hadn't used it. Not once.
Jaune brushed his thumb across the rune's edge, watching the faint glow ripple outward. There was a quiet satisfaction in knowing it was there, waiting. But he couldn't bring himself to spend it yet.
It wasn't just sentimentality—it was practicality. Once he used it, it would be gone forever. Well... not forever. He could theoretically recreate it. But that would just be a waste of his time. That would mean getting rid of his Teleport rune and making Sword once again.
To be fair, Jaune hadn't needed it.
The dream realm fights had been difficult, yes, but manageable. That was the point of a squad—Oscar's versatility, Ren's calm precision and Nora's raw destructive power. Together, they covered each other's blind spots. They'd saved each other more times than he could count.
He smiled faintly. Teamwork. It was something he could never underestimate.
Next to Crocea Mors lay his other blade—Lux Aeterna.
That one was was sleeker, with a silvery-white finish. The handle fit perfectly in his grip, its balance flawless.
He holstered both blades onto the magnetic clamps at his back. Crocea Mors slid into place with a reassuring click; Lux Aeterna followed, locking just below it at a diagonal. Then, he strapped his Runic Pistol sidearm to his hip.
For a moment, he stood there, just breathing, letting the calm settle into him.
He was about to close the locker when the door at the far end opened.
Footsteps echoed against the tile.
Jaune turned slightly.
Cardin Winchester stepped into the changing room, his confident gait slightly muted by the quiet. The taller boy barely glanced in Jaune's direction as he moved toward his own locker a few rows down. His brown hair was damp with sweat, like he'd just finished a warm-up session.
Jaune gave him a polite nod. "Hey."
Cardin didn't answer at first. He keyed open his locker, the hiss of the air seals filling the silence. "Sup," he finally muttered, voice neutral.
Disinterest.
The two of them weren't friends but they were comrades on a battlefront which meant that they had a modicum of respect for each other.
Jaune leaned back against his locker, arms crossed loosely. "You heading out for training?"
"Yeah," Cardin said, pulling out his own Rune Frame. His was heavier and bulkier. Thick plates layered across the chest and forearms, with crimson tracer lines that flared when active. Definitely customized for his fighting style.
He began strapping it on, not looking Jaune's way.
A few seconds passed before Jaune spoke again. "Haven't seen you in the sparring rooms for a while."
"Been busy," Cardin said simply.
Jaune smiled a little. "Yeah, me too."
They both knew what that meant.
A while ago, Cardin had asked him to spar. It a challenge to see his capabilities but Jaune had declined, mostly due to his schedule with LUCID swallowing almost all his free time. He hadn't seen much of Cardin since then, except in the civilian Beacon classes where they pretended to be normal students.
Cardin finished attaching the last piece of armor, flexing his arm to test the servos. His Rune Frame hummed to life with a low vibration, crimson light tracing across his shoulders.
Jaune found himself wondering what Cardin's runes were. He knew the team was strong—Peak Rank 1s, all of them—but he'd never seen them fight up close. The training sims had given him fragments.
But not the full picture.
"You and your team still running missions with Rank 2 operative, Qrow?" Cardin asked suddenly, glancing over his shoulder.
Jaune raised a brow at the question. "Somewhat. We've been to a couple Rank 2 zones but lately he hasn't shown himself. Two weeks since we last saw him, I think."
Cardin nodded, expression unreadable. "Yeah, Rank 2's are usually quite, busy but we've been doing our own runs under Port. "
"Impressive. Any interesting Rank 2 zones you've been to?"
Cardin frowned faintly. "Yeah, one that sticks out was a submarine Nightmare zone. That one was problematic. Bloody Amalgamation kept spawning a ton of aquatic grimm."
Silence settled again, broken only by the faint hum of powered suits.
Then, unexpectedly, Cardin said, "That weapon of yours, you imbued a rune on it?"
Jaune looked down instinctively at Crocea Mors. The embedded rune caught the light, shimmering.
"Yeah," Jaune said after a moment. "It's called Sword. Don't really feel like using it up or submitting the rune to the researchers for them to test out."
Cardin didn't ask further. He just nodded once, as if that was enough, then grabbed his helmet from the top shelf. "Well. See you out there."
Jaune returned the nod. "Yeah."
Cardin left, the sound of his boots fading down the hall.
The room felt quieter after that.
Jaune looked back at his reflection in the mirror—suit active, blades secured, eyes steady.
.
.
Jaune stepped out of the changing rooms, the door sliding shut behind him with a quiet hiss. The hallway beyond was mostly empty, only a few staff members walking past. His thoughts were still lingering on his greeting with Cardin and his Sword Rune, when—
"Jaune!"
The sudden voice made him glance up just in time to see Yang striding toward him from the end of the hall, rune frame already adorned and golden hair practically blazing under the lights. Her expression was a mix of mild irritation and impatience.
He raised a brow. "Uh… hey, Yang."
"Hey nothing," she said, stopping in front of him with her hands on her hips. "Why haven't you looked at your phone yet?"
Jaune tilted his head. "My phone?"
Yang rolled her eyes dramatically and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Come on, we gotta go."
Before Jaune could get another word in, Yang grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him down the corridor. Her grip was surprisingly firm, metal gauntlet and all.
"H–hey, wait! What's going on?" Jaune said, trying to match her brisk pace.
"Mission," Yang said shortly, not slowing down.
Jaune blinked again. "Mission? Like… a Dream one? Wouldn't be for later, when we actually go to sleep?"
"Nope."
That made him hesitate for half a second. "Real-world mission?"
Yang just gave a sharp nod, lips pressed in a thin line.
That was interesting.
Real-world missions weren't usually something Rank 1 operatives got. Mostly because they usually involved cleaning up spillovers impacting the real world. Grimm, unlike awakened, retained all of their stats when they invaded reality. This was why real world mission were usually meant for the higher ranks, the ones trusted to handle things outside the controlled environments of the Dream Realm.
So why the hell was he chosen for one?
As they rounded a corner, Jaune wondered why Yang's expression was showing a look of irritation. Her jaw was set, eyes sharp and uneasy. Probably not at him. All he did was not check his phone which mean that this was something else.
He had to confirm, however. "You seem… angry? At me?"
Yang gave a humorless laugh. "No... not at you, but yeah I'm a little pissed."
"Did something happen?"
Yang didn't answer right away. Instead, she shoved open the doors to the cafeteria and led him inside.
The LUCID cafeteria was half-full, the usual mix of agents, researchers, and support staff scattered among the tables. The low hum of conversation filled the air, mixed with the smell of coffee and cooked rations.
And then Jaune saw them.
At a table near the far end sat Qrow Branwen—leaned back in his chair, black coat loose, and a plate of food in front of him. Beside him was Ruby, poking at a slice of toast while occasionally stealing bites from Qrow's plate.
Next to Qrow, however, was a face Jaune hadn't expected to see.
Raven.
Her long dark hair was tied loosely behind her, her crimson eyes half-lidded as she idly picked at her food. The resemblance to Yang was unmistakable, though her presence carried something colder, sharper.
Ruby was clearly pretending she didn't notice Raven. Her fidgeting, however, gave it away—the slight tapping of her fingers on the table, the restless movement of her legs.
She didn't usually mingle in the LUCID base like this. And when she did, she was usually in the form of a Raven that perched on Qrow's shoulder.
Jaune glanced at Yang, who'd gone stiff beside him. Her golden eyes had hardened, and he could practically feel the heat from her frustration.
'Ah. So that's why.'
Raven's gaze flicked up lazily when the two approached. A faint smirk curved her lips, the kind that wasn't really a smile. "Hello again, dear daughter."
Yang didn't respond.
Qrow, on the other hand, just waved his fork, and intervened before things got heated. "Good, you're here—and dressed for work too. Perfect timing." He shoved another bite of food into his mouth before continuing, his tone casual but firm. "We've got a mission assigned by the big brass himself today."
Jaune blinked. "Big brass…?"
"Ozpin," Ruby supplied, her voice quiet.
That made Jaune pause. "Ozpin assigned a mission to us, specifically? What're the details?"
Qrow nodded, swallowing his food. "Well, he assigned it to me, specifically.... but in any case, an interesting situation seems to have popped up in the real world, and it might... no, it is most like is connected to the Dream."
Yang's eyes narrowed. "Is it another another bleed-over event, with Amalgamations?"
"Hmm, not really. Truth be told, I'm not even sure how to properly explain this." Qrow said, setting down his fork. "So I think... that I'll just try to get you up to speed on the way there, instead."
Jaune crossed his arms. "Right... so… you're bringing me, Ruby, and Yang along? Why?"
Qrow gave a shrug. "Because I was told I could bring a few students for field experience, so I chose you three."
Jaune arched a brow. "Field experience in the real world?"
"Don't look so nervous, kid. It's not a warzone. Probably. Think of this as a reconnaissance assignment. We're going to observe something unusual."
Raven didn't even look up this time but a hint of a smile could be seen on her face. "Oh, I do truly hope that it will be warzone. That'll make it more fun."
Yang's fingers twitched when Raven spoke. Jaune noticed the faintest spark of flame flicker around her gauntlets, from her new rune, before she visibly forced herself to calm down.
Qrow sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Let's all not start this again. We've got a job, and I'd like to keep my eardrums intact before we even leave HQ."
Ruby finally spoke up, her voice soft but firm. "So, where's the mission going to be, exactly?"
Qrow leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking between them. "We're heading to a city in Vale—Belmont."
Jaune frowned. "Belmont? That's south of here, right? About seven hours away from here by car?"
"Right, you are indeed, but we're not going to be taking a car."
Yang folded her arms, eyes flicking toward Raven. "And what's she supposed to do?"
Raven smirked faintly. "Whatever I want."
Qrow groaned under his breath.
Ruby glanced between them nervously. "Um… maybe we should get ready to leave?"
"Smart girl," Qrow said, standing and slinging his coat over his shoulder. "We've got a transport waiting in ten. Grab your stuff and meet me at the hangar."
Jaune nodded, mind already shifting into mission mode. Still, as they turned to go, he couldn't shake the sense of unease curling in his chest.
A real-world mission, sanctioned by Ozpin himself.
Something about this felt… big.
Belmont City. Whatever was happening there—he could tell already—it wouldn't be simple.
.
.
AN: Advanced chapters, up to 10, are available on patreon