The bay was enormous, stretching out in a sweeping display of polished steel, suspended walkways and crane mechanisms crawling along overhead rails. Various areas even had rows of experimental equipment that most people could only dream about. If he turned around and looked upward, he could see the tall glass window high above, overlooking everything like an all-seeing eye.
Ozpin's office.
From here, the window seemed intimidating, like Ozpin was an overseer that could appear at any moment behind it, perfectly still and composed, sipping his mug of coffee while observing the entire hangar like a general at the helm of a warship.
Being a Rank 3, he probably could.
Jaune tore his eyes away and continued forward, following the designated walkway. The scent of machine oil, filled the air, normal in this place.
All around him was one of LUCID's real powers.
Rows of specialized vehicles. Humanoid mechs—Titan Class Rune Frames—stood in fitted docking stations like slumbering giants, black plates gleaming under the hangar lights. Each Titan Frame was four times Jaune's height, with reinforced limbs, runic plating, and weapons integrated directly into their frames. He'd only ever seen them tested once, from a distance and even then, the sound of their footsteps made his chest vibrate.
If the dream operatives failed to contain the creatures of grimm in the dream realm and all hell broke loose in the waking world, these Titan-class frames would be the last line of defense against the monsters of nightmare. These were meant for regular operatives to operate. Those who weren't awakened.
To Jaune's right were aircraft prototypes, some sleek and angular, others bulky and transport-oriented. He recognized a few models: Valkyrie skimmers, Gremlin recon drones, and a few unnamed experimental ones he knew better than to stare at for too long.
Ruby practically bounced with each step beside him, eyes shining. "Look, Jaune! They added a 20th Titan Frame. Oh my god, that's the V-model arm plating—look at the runic reinforcement! And the new recoil buffers on the shoulders!"
Jaune smiled a little awkwardly. It seemed Ruby had much more knowledge of these things than he did. Considering that Ruby was a weapon's geek, he supposed it was quite normal. "It seems... enthusiasm also extends to these guys too, huh?"
Yang snorted. "Ruby had blueprints for a custom motorcycle in grade eight. This is sort of like her Disneyland."
But Yang's tone carried a little tension, all of it still tied back to the presence currently walking several steps ahead of them.
Raven Branwen.
She moved with bored confidence. Someone as strong as her had few things left in the world to be impressed by, even while walking through the most advanced subterranean military bay on the continent.
Considering that Rank 2's were akin to strategic missiles, her attitude wasn't misplaced.
Qrow walked beside her, holding a datapad in one hand. He was already half strapped into mission mode—focused, alert, far more sober than his usual half-drowsy demeanor.
"Over here," Qrow called without turning.
Jaune, Ruby, and Yang followed as he led them toward the left side of the bay—towards the largest craft in the immediate area.
Jaune slowed instinctively.
It was impossible not to.
The vehicle before them was massive, about the size of large bus, but shaped compactly, like someone had taken a small house and streamlined it for flight. Its hull was matte black, reflective only in the faintest sense, the kind of material that swallowed light instead of bouncing it back. Its silhouette was smooth and predatory, with sweeping wings that angled backward and a pair of massive thruster engines built into its rear.
A narrow row of windows lined the front—cockpit glass, darkened from the outside.
Ruby let out an audible gasp. "Is that a—no way—is that a Bullhead?"
Qrow grinned, clearly pleased with her reaction. "One of the newest models."
Yang let out a low whistle. "I've never seen one this clean. When was it made?"
"A month ago." Qrow said, stepping forward and placing a hand on the craft's chassis. "Ladies and gentle-duckling—" he nodded at Jaune with a smirk "—meet the Bullhead MK IV. A marvel of LUCID tech. Speed, stealth, runic shielding, hull regeneration, and… well, a few surprises."
Ruby was already peering under its wing. "How many weapons does it have? And what are they?"
"More than you need to worry about unless you plan on taking a joyride with Raven," Qrow said.
Ruby squeaked and backed away.
Raven didn't look up from the cockpit console she was checking, but Jaune did not miss the faint smirk she tried to hide.
Qrow clapped his hands. "Alright, mount up. We're on a schedule."
Inside, the Bullhead was even more impressive—sleek steel-grey interior, folding seats, reinforced safety straps, and a central holo-projection module in the center aisle. Everything hummed quietly with stabilized energy.
Qrow and Raven settled in the pilot and co-pilot seats, their harnesses locking with a mechanical click.
Jaune, Ruby, and Yang took their own seats behind them.
Ruby strapped in instantly, vibrating with excitement.
Yang strapped in more slowly, her jaw tight.
Jaune fastened his harness and exhaled.
Outside, personnel were waving signals, giving clearance.
Qrow flicked a series of switches, and the Bullhead's engines came alive, a deep but quiet hum filling the cabin.
"Alright kids," Qrow said, toggling the comm. "Launching in five."
Jaune felt the harness tighten around him automatically.
"Four."
Ruby clutched the armrests.
"Three."
Jaune swallowed.
"Two."
Raven leaned back, unfazed.
"One. Launch."
The world jerked forward.
Hard.
The Bullhead shot down the runway tunnel like a bullet through a railgun. Jaune's back slammed against the seat, his breath catching with the sudden acceleration.
Lights streaked past them in long white lines.
Ruby squealed in pure exhilaration.
Yang muttered something loud, punctuated with, "Holy crap."
In the cockpit, Qrow was laughing. "Relax, kids! She handles smoother than she looks!"
Jaune wasn't sure he agreed. His stomach was still trying to understand what direction gravity currently wanted to pull him toward.
Qrow's voice crackled over the intercom. "We've cleared the inner tunnel. Opening surface tunnel in five seconds."
Jaune felt the Bullhead tilt upward.
The top section of the tunnel began to split open, mechanical plates retracting rapidly, revealing an upward slope ahead.
Then—
They broke through.
The craft shot out into open air, rising several dozen meters instantly.
Jaune blinked against the sudden brightness.
"Welcome to the outskirts of Vale," Qrow said. "Hidden hangar exit secured. Good work team."
Raven toggled a switch Jaune didn't recognize.
And then—
The panels of the Bullhead shifted.
Or melted. Or… something.
From the outside, the matte-black hull flickered, pixelated faintly—then became transparent, blending with the clouds behind it. Not perfectly invisible, but invisibility enough that from the ground it would look like nothing more than a faint shimmer.
Qrow whistled approvingly. "Camouflage engaged. Engines to stealth-mode. We're ghosts in the sky."
Jaune stared. "That's… incredible."
Ruby practically vibrated in her seat. "I WANT ONE. UNCLE QROW, CAN I HAVE ONE? PLEASE?"
"No," Qrow and Yang both said immediately.
Qrow adjusted the flight path and turned the Bullhead northeast.
"We'll reach Belmont City in about twenty minutes," he said.
Jaune nodded slowly.
Twenty minutes.
Just enough time for Qrow to explain what they were walking, or rather... flying into.
He tightened his grip on the armrest.
The interior of the Bullhead hummed softly as the stealth engines stabilized their tone, smoothing into a near-silent vibration beneath Jaune's boots. The clouds outside drifted past in long, slow curls—though "outside" was a relative term, considering the ship now blended with the sky so well that even Jaune himself could hardly see the wings.
Qrow tapped a few controls overhead, then leaned back in his seat, the tension in his shoulders shifting to a more thoughtful posture.
"Alright, kiddos," he began. "We've got twenty minutes, which means that its about enough time to bring you up to speed. But fair warning…" He glanced over his shoulder, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "This one's a little complicated. So we're gonna take it in steps."
Ruby leaned forward in her seat slightly, still strapped in but already attentive. Yang crossed her arms, expression guarded. Jaune straightened, bracing himself—it wasn't often Qrow said something was complicated. That usually meant something big.
"First off," Qrow said, "let's start easy. You three remember the basic properties of runes, yeah?"
They exchanged uncertain glances.
Ruby answered first. "Uh… properties? I mean, regular versus meta types… and all that?"
Qrow gestured. "Well... not really, but you might as well go on."
Ruby chewed her lip as she tried to recall the exact explanations from their training. "Regular Runes have literal effects. Fire makes fire. Ice makes ice. Shield makes a barrier. They do what they say on the label."
"Right," Qrow nodded.
Jaune picked up from there. "Meta Runes are more… abstract and conceptual in nature. They might not manifest in a straightforward way. Like—my Weakness Rune, for example." He tapped his chest lightly. "The power doesn't manifest literally, rather it functions based on my understanding of weakness, which is why I'm able to remove stats from people and why it is called Meta rune. Meta runes are also harder to create compared to regular runes. Two different people trying to creates the Weakness meta rune might instead form a different rune like "Decrepit, or maybe even Fragility."
Ruby nodded. "Those who have Meta Runes also find it a lot harder to reach comprehension and mastery compared to those who have regular runes, but in contrast, Meta Runes are stronger."
Qrow nodded at all of this—approving, but not necessarily impressed. "All good explanations. Correct… but not actually what I was askin' for."
Yang's eyebrow twitched. "Then why ask it?"
"Because I wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten," Qrow said blandly, ignoring her tone. "Now. What I really meant was the limits. How many runes an awakened can hold? And what it means to imbue one?"
Ruby brightened. That was easier. "Rank 0s can create one rune, and when they rank up to Rank 1, their existence—well, their soul—expands, and they gain room for another. Two total."
"Right," Qrow affirmed. "And?"
"When a Rank 1 reaches comprehension in both of those runes," Ruby continued, "through the Nightmare system, they can rank up to Rank 2, which expands their existence again, giving room for a third rune."
Jaune finished the sequence. "Rank 3's are a different scenario. To reach Rank 3, an awakened would need to a state beyond comprehension in their runes. Mastery. Afterwards, they'd need to combine the three mastered runes into a single unified rune, creating what is known as a Master Rune. Consequently, Rank 3's are also the highest rank achievable."
Qrow snapped his fingers. "Bingo. And imbuing?"
Ruby answered quickly. "If you generate a rune you don't want, you can imbue it into an object and discard it. Once it's imbued, it sticks to whatever you put it into. You lose the rune slot and are free to create a new one from the system."
Qrow looked satisfied with that. "Good. That's the standard doctrine. And the last part?"
Yang sighed loudly. "If a rune is imbued into something, it can only be used one time. Then it disappears forever. Or until you recreate it again, I guess?"
Her annoyance was clear. "Uncle Qrow, why are we reviewing awakening classes? We're not rookies, you know?"
Silence settled.
Raven didn't turn from the co-pilot screen, but Jaune caught the slight pause in her fingers over the controls. Even she seemed to be listening more intently than before.
Qrow's smile crept up, slow and almost too casual.
"…Because," he said lightly, "that last part? Might not actually be true anymore."
All three teens froze.
Yang frowned first. "What are you talking about?"
Qrow tapped the edge of his datapad. "A report was received from our Belmont base just yesterday, and... according to them... " He paused, letting the moment hang. "…a proper way to make imbued runes permanent might have just been discovered."
Ruby made a sound like her soul had left her body.
Jaune frowned. Hard.
Yang sat up straighter, the annoyance replaced by shock. "Permanent? As in—useable more than once?"
"Truthfully, I'm not sure. But yes, indefinitely," Qrow confirmed. "Not consumed. Functional permanently."
Jaune's jaw worked, but no sound came out. It was Ruby who erupted first.
"How's that even possible?!"
She leaned forward as far as the safety harness allowed. "That breaks the entire foundation of the system! The whole reason awakened are limited to three runes are because imbued runes collapse after activation. That's why awakened can even fight creatures of grimm—because awakened carry living runes, not dead single-use ones!"
"It could change everything," Jaune added, thinking fast. "Gear durability, rune-budgeting. Combat strategy. Weapon loadouts. Even defense protocols—"
"It'll change the damn world," Yang cut in, eyes sharp.
Qrow nodded calmly. "Exactly why we're needed. In truth, this knowledge didn't originate from Belmont's LUCID base."
Yang raised a brow. "It didn't? Then where did it come from?"
Qrow shrugged, slightly evasive, though none of them noticed. "Im not sure, but Belmont, was able to test it. And it worked."
Raven interjected and finally spoke, voice cool and steady. "For the first time in all of history, a core rule of the Nightmare System has been rewritten."
Jaune felt a chill crawl up his spine.
A rule of the system… rewritten?
"But how?" Ruby breathed. "Imbued runes are fragments of awakened intent. Without an Aura or a soul to maintain them, they decay after use. That's… fundamental."
Qrow shrugged. "Belmont scientists claim they found a stabilization method. They didn't give details—only that they have proof-of-concept and that it's reproducible."
Yang's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Let me guess. Something went wrong."
Qrow gave her a dry look. "We're flying out in stealth-mode in a bleeding-edge aircraft to a city under partial lockdown. What do you think?"
Jaune's stomach tightened.
Ruby whispered, "So, what happened?"
Raven answered first. "What happened... is that we lost contact with the LUCID base in Belmont."
A chill creeped up Jaune's fingers as he clenched them around the armrests. "...what?"
Qrow didn't answer immediately. His silence was answer enough, but eventually, he exhaled. "We're not sure. All we know, is that for some reason, the base in Belmont isn't responding."
Yang's face was slightly drained of color. "Could it be because of a Rank 2 Grimm of some sort.'"
Qrow shrugged, "Possibly. Which is why we are here to investigate."
Jaune inhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"So," he asked, "in summary… Belmont Base discovered a way to make imbued runes permanent, and then something happened and we lost contact with them?"
"Exactly," Qrow said. "And we're being sent to find out if the two events are possibly related."
Ruby leaned back, voice small. "…This is bigger than anything we've done before."
Qrow didn't sugarcoat it. "Yep."
Raven looked ahead, her expression unreadable. "Prepare yourselves. Belmont City isn't just another mission. It's a potential system-breaking anomaly. One LUCID cannot allow to exist unchecked."
Jaune nodded.
Ruby steadied her breathing.
Yang cracked her knuckles.
The mission, suddenly, felt far heavier than the three of them expected when they boarded the Bullhead.
.
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AN: Advanced chapters are available on patreon