The underground chamber hummed with low mechanical resonance.
Runic energy pulsed through the floor in faint streams of pale crimson light that resembled veins spreading beneath dark metal plating. The entire facility was deep beneath the earth, hidden far from cities and trade routes alike.
At the center of the chamber stood four large triangular devices.
Each one was roughly the size of a transport vehicle.
Their structures resembled massive metallic pyramids that were positioned upright along reinforced foundations, glowing runic pathways were etched across every inch of their surfaces. Energy coursed through the mechanisms rhythmically, producing a steady droning hum that vibrated faintly through the room itself.
Yet each device remained incomplete.
A section near the center of every one of them was missing, leaving a visible gap where something clearly needed to be inserted.
Or perhaps activated.
Nicholas Arc stood before the towering constructs with his hands in his pockets. The pale runic light reflected softly across his composed features.
Not far away, Arthur Watts tapped rapidly across the surface of a holo-pad while reviewing streams of floating data projections. Numbers flickered constantly around him alongside dimensional calculations and energy synchronization ratios.
Watts frowned slightly as he adjusted one of the readings.
"No instability."
Another adjustment.
"No flux degradation."
He clicked his tongue thoughtfully.
Off to the side, Carnis sat motionless in a steel chair.
The featureless mask-like surface that served as his face reflected absolutely nothing. He appeared completely detached from the surrounding world, almost as though he was disassociating.
Cinder leaned lazily against a support pillar nearby while playing with a tiny spark of flame dancing above her fingertips. The fire twisted and curled with unnatural precision.
Across from her stood a large man.
The massive man folded his thick arms across his chest while staring at the devices. Even standing still, he looked enormous. Larger than Carnis in sheer musculature. Broad shoulders, deeply tanned skin and the kind of body that resembled a walking siege engine more than a human being.
Eventually he grunted.
"So, it's finally done?"
Arthur Watts slowly lifted his eyes from the holo-pad. Then stared at the man like he had personally offended mathematics itself.
"If it was not completed," Watts said dryly, "then why exactly would we all be gathered here? Truly, Hazel, for a Rank 2 and a designated team leader, you often resemble an imbecile more than a functioning awakened."
The room grew quiet.
Cinder rolled her eyes and Carnis did not react whatsoever.
Hazel's jaw however, tightened. Then suddenly an immense wave of killing intent erupted from him.
The pressure slammed through the chamber like a physical force. The air itself seemed to distort slightly around his body as violent aura leaked outward.
Arthur merely grinned, wide and mocking, almost inviting the violence.
Hazel shifted forward, then froze instantly.
His body locked in place mid movement like an insect trapped inside amber. His muscles bulged violently beneath his skin while veins surfaced across his neck, yet nothing moved.
Not even his eyes.
Nicholas stepped calmly between the two men.
"Relax," he said gently. "Watts was joking."
His tone remained warm and casual.
Hazel however, still remained frozen. Then Nicholas slowly turned his head toward Arthur. Though the smile on Nicholas's face remained pleasant...
His eyes did not.
"Though," Nicholas continued softly, "sometimes he takes his jokes too far."
Arthur raised both hands lazily.
"My apologies."
A moment later the invisible restraint vanished.
Hazel stumbled backward slightly before regaining his footing with a grunt. He glanced toward Nicholas briefly, then harrumphed before crossing his arms again.
Cinder snorted quietly under her breath.
"Children."
Nobody replied to her. Nicholas simply smiled pleasantly toward the group. Then he spoke.
"He's arrived."
Every person in the chamber instinctively straightened slightly. Even Watts lowered his holo-pad. Their attention shifted toward the entrance doors at the far end of the chamber.
Several seconds later, the doors opened and a man walked inside.
Long black braided hair rested across dark robes lined with faint crimson patterns. His face appeared was handsome even.
Yet there was something deeply odd about him.
Not outwardly, physically.
But mentally.
The sensation radiating from him felt... distorted. Like staring at a person and realizing that the person you were staring at wasn't entirely there.
When he spoke, his masculine voice layered strangely with another voice beneath it.
A female voice that was faint and seemingly distant.
Echoing from somewhere impossibly far away.
"Well done," he said.
The overlapping voices sent an instinctive chill through the room.
"Our preparations have progressed wonderfully these past few years."
Though the man emanated no visible pressure whatsoever, every Rank 2 present instinctively felt unease crawl along their spines.
Not fear exactly, but something older.
Something dreamlike.
His gaze drifted toward the four circular constructs.
"And I see the devices have been completed as well."
He nodded approvingly.
"Excellent work, Arthur Watts."
Watts immediately inclined his head slightly.
"Thank you."
Though for once, his usual arrogance had noticeably diminished. The man approached the nearest device slowly while examining its structure.
His fingers lightly brushed one of the glowing runic channels.
"That Arias fellow has truly proven useful. His displacement rune possesses remarkable flexibility."
The layered female voice echoed faintly underneath the words like distant thunder beneath calm rain.
Then the man turned toward Carnis.
"Truly, you performed wonderfully bringing him and his daughter back."
Carnis remained seated silently. Yet his head inclined slightly in acknowledgment. The man then looked toward Nicholas.
And smiled.
"Ah," he said warmly, "my most precious friend."
Nicholas lowered his head respectfully.
"If not for you," the man continued, "all of this would have taken far longer to accomplish."
His layered voice reverberated softly through the chamber.
"My investment in placing you within the Keeper Sanctuary all those years ago has paid tremendous dividends. I see my trust in you was not misplaced."
Nicholas bowed his head further.
"Not at all, sir," he replied calmly. "I could not have accomplished any of this without the others."
"Still humble as always."
Even Cinder looked faintly uncomfortable hearing that sentence. The man slowly turned back toward the four massive devices. For several moments, nobody spoke. The humming runic energy filled the silence instead.
Then he finally said:
"As it stands... the final act approaches."
The chamber somehow felt colder afterward. The layered female voice beneath his own seemed to deepen faintly.
"My lady's resurrection draws near."
The man turned back toward the entrance.
Then paused.
"As for your plan," he said while glancing toward Nicholas, "Choice will be yours."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You are certain there will be no mishaps?"
Nicholas smiled. Yet something unreadable lingered behind it.
"No, sir," he answered honestly. "I cannot guarantee absolute certainty."
He looked toward the incomplete devices. Then toward the distant darkness beyond them.
"But, if events do proceed according to plan..."
The humming runic energy intensified softly around the chamber.
"…then the timeline will inevitably converge towards our final destiny."
Silence followed. Then the black-haired man smiled with profound satisfaction.
"Excellent."
The air distorted faintly around him and he disappeared.
Gone instantly.
The chamber remained quiet afterward.
Cinder slowly exhaled first.
"…Every time he shows up," she muttered, "I feel like I need a drink afterward."
Hazel grunted in agreement. Arthur Watts merely resumed checking his holo-pad with forced calmness.
Only Nicholas remained staring toward the empty space where the man had stood moments earlier.
His smile slowly faded. And for the briefest moment... something almost uncertain flickered through his eyes.
.
.
The little bell above the coffee shop door jingled softly every few minutes as customers wandered in and out beneath the cloudy afternoon skies of Vale.
Steam curled upward from warm cups and soft jazz played somewhere overhead.
And at the center table near the window sat five women who, between them, possessed enough power to flatten several city blocks if they collectively lost their tempers.
Currently, however, their greatest conflict involved tea.
Yang leaned back in her chair with a deeply betrayed expression while staring down into her cup like it had personally insulted her ancestors.
"Weiss," she said slowly, "you know I love you and all, but why in the world are we sitting here and drinking tea? Tea of all things?"
Across from her, Weiss looked faintly mortified. She immediately pointed toward Ruby like a lawyer presenting incriminating evidence in court.
"Ruby, this was your idea. Now your sister is angry at me for proposing your thoughts."
Ruby, meanwhile, remained entirely unbothered. She sat with a cookie halfway in her mouth while sipping her drink casually.
Crunch.
Shrug.
Then she pointed toward Pyrrha almost accusingly. Pyrrha took another slow sip from her cup before setting it down carefully.
"I think I finally have an idea of what Jaune has been up to."
That sentence cut through the table instantly.
Yang straightened and Blake's eyes lifted from her own drink. Weiss leaned forward slightly.
Even Ruby stopped chewing for once.
Truthfully, none of them had properly gathered together like this in quite some time. The months had slipped by strangely fast.
It had been nearly eight whole months since Jaune had disappeared. The date of his promised fight against his father was also getting dangerously close now.
And during that entire stretch of time, all of their lives had shifted dramatically.
Pyrrha had spent most of the year traveling across the kingdoms dealing with Nightmare Zones as an official Rank 2 operative. Mistral. Vacuo. Menagerie. Even the frozen edges of Solitas once.
Ruby and Yang largely remained stationed around Vale, though their assignments had grown steadily more dangerous over time.
Blake had returned to Menagerie for several months. Officially to visit family.
Unofficially?
Adam.
Even now the mere thought of him left something cold sitting behind her ribs.
And Weiss had spent time in Atlas handling both family matters and LUCID responsibilities simultaneously. Still, despite the distance and the chaos...
All of them had reached Rank 2.
The realm which had once been given the nickname, block breakers. The same realm Jaune and Pyrrha had reached a little while ago. Though comparatively speaking, their journeys had been much smoother.
Pyrrha and Jaune had practically clawed their way upward through blood and desperation. The others had risen through gradual mastery. Training, experience and even combat accumulation.
Not easier exactly.
Just... less catastrophic.
Pyrrha folded her hands together quietly.
"We still haven't been able to pin down his exact location," she admitted. "Even LUCID keeps losing track of him. Every time someone reports seeing him, he disappears again shortly afterward."
Yang frowned.
"That's creepy."
"It gets creepier," Pyrrha replied. Her expression darkened slightly.
"He's specifically been targeting Sleepless cells."
That drew everyone's attention even harder.
"He's hunting them down?"
Pyrrha nodded. Then she explained everything that had occurred just recently when she had went to Mountain Glenn.
The Hybrids, Doctor Merlot, the Aetherion experiments, the facility and the strange rune Jaune apparently stole from Merlot months earlier.
By the time she finished speaking, the table had gone quiet again.
Yang finally broke the silence.
"So you think he's what... traveling around stealing imbued runes from people?" she asked. "I mean, I know he has the Plunder rune and all, but why?"
Pyrrha stared into her tea thoughtfully.
"I suspect Jaune is trying to accumulate enough experience to create his final rune."
Ruby hummed quietly while taking another sip.
"Well," she said, "if he took the rune from Merlot months ago, he's probably not even in Vale anymore."
Blake nodded slowly.
"I heard a Sleepless contingent in Menagerie got wiped out recently," she said. "Maybe he's over there."
Weiss frowned faintly.
"Well, in any case, the date for his fight against his dad is apparently coming up. Shouldn't we be trying a little harder to find him before the fight?"
She crossed her arms.
"He might need some help beating up his dear old dad, after all."
Ruby immediately shook her head.
"Remember what Jaune said," she replied. "His dad has the Time meta rune or something and apparently it's one of the strongest meta runes around. How do we even counter that? If he is trying to create this final rune of his... I think it might be for directly countering his dad's rune."
Blake quietly added,
"Yeah. That tracks. And... even if we could help him... does Jaune even want our help?"
Everyone looked toward her. Blake lowered her gaze slightly.
"He wouldn't have left like this if he wanted us involved."
That statement landed harder than expected.
Pyrrha's shoulders slumped. Slowly, she lowered her forehead into her folded arms atop the table slightly depressed. The bustling coffee shop continued around them.
People laughed nearby. Coffee machines hissed and plates clinked.
But at their table, something softer settled.
Regret.
Pyrrha stared silently out the window for several long seconds before finally speaking.
"This is all my fault."
Ruby looked at Pyrrha sadly. Pyrrha's voice grew quieter. "If only I hadn't been so weak back then... maybe Jaune would've stayed."
Ruby instantly reached over and patted Pyrrha on the head.
"It's not your fault," she said firmly. "If anything, it's that dummy Jaune's fault!"
Pyrrha blinked upward slightly. Ruby puffed out her cheeks.
"You didn't die! And he was only Rank 1 back then too! He's acting like he has to carry literally everything himself."
Weiss nodded sharply.
"Exactly."
She looked visibly annoyed now. "That idiot thinks we're too weak, doesn't he?"
A faint icy pressure flickered around her cup unconsciously.
"Well, I bet this time, since I've condensed my own meta rune, I'll be sure to kick his ass next time I see him."
She narrowed her eyes. "Put some damn sense into him for leaving without even a word of explanation."
Silence.
The others stared at her and Weiss blinked. Then slowly became self conscious beneath the collective attention.
"What?" She demanded.
Yang suddenly grinned. "Damn, Weiss Cream," she said. "I didn't know you could curse like that."
She laughed. "You could give Mocha and me a little competition."
Blake deadpanned immediately,
"Truly. I thought Atlas was all prim and proper."
Weiss huffed loudly.
"Hmph!"
Ruby snorted into her tea. Even Pyrrha smiled faintly despite herself. The tension around the table loosened a little afterward.
Then Ruby tilted her head.
"Speaking of Mocha... where is she anyway? I haven't seen her in a while."
Yang's expression immediately transformed into the grin of someone carrying dangerous information.
"Hehehe."
Ruby immediately narrowed her eyes.
"That face means trouble. Go on then, spit it out, Yang."
Yang pointed dramatically across the table. "Ruby Rose," she declared, "do I have news for you."
Ruby blinked.
"Huh? What happened?"
Yang practically vibrated with amusement. "Mocha was recently asked out by Oscar."
The table paused and Yang only grinned wider.
"And now... they're dating."
Pyrrha, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss all stared at her simultaneously.
"…Really?" Ruby said.
"Oscar?" Weiss added incredulously.
"Of all people?" Blake finished.
Yang nodded proudly.
"Yep."
Then she looked toward Pyrrha suspiciously.
"Actually, how do you not know about this? Weren't you Mocha's partner?"
Pyrrha immediately looked away.
"…I've been traveling."
Yang stared.
Pyrrha coughed lightly.
"I-I've been busy… but... now that you mention it, Oscar and Mocha had looked like they were getting... awfully close quite... recently."
Yang's grin became knowing.
"Uh huh."
Pyrrha suddenly found her tea very interesting. Yang eventually waved it off.
Blake tilted her head slightly.
"…Actually," she admitted reluctantly, "how did Oscar ask her out?"
Yang's eyes immediately lit up with evil. She nudged Blake with her elbow.
"Why? Curious if he acted out one of your Ninjas of Love scenes when he asked her out?"
Blake instantly choked on her tea and Ruby froze.
Very slowly, Blake turned toward her.
"You told her?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"…Ehe."
Blake stared at her flatly.
"What do you mean 'ehe'?!"
Ruby visibly shrank under the betrayal radiating from Blake's eyes. Yang meanwhile was practically vibrating with amusement.
"There there, Blakey," she said while patting Blake's shoulder dramatically. "I think at this point everybody knows about your little smutty book fetishes."
Weiss nearly inhaled her drink incorrectly.
Pyrrha blinked.
Ruby looked away while trying not to laugh. Blake groaned and dropped her forehead against the table.
"Kill me now."
Yang grinned.
"No can do. Your suffering feeds me spiritually."
Blake slowly lifted her head again with the exhausted expression of someone reconsidering every friendship decision she had ever made.
Then she sighed.
"Fine. Whatever."
She pointed toward Yang tiredly.
"Alright, so how did he ask her out?"
Yang coughed slightly. "Okay, so that's actually the funny part."
Ruby leaned forward instantly and Weiss already looked concerned. Pyrrha quietly sipped her tea again.
Yang raised a hand.
"Now, disclaimer. I don't know the full details because Ren explained it to me, and Ren is a terrible storyteller."
"That sounds accurate," Blake admitted.
Yang nodded firmly.
"Right? The guy narrates emotional events like he's reading grocery lists."
She paused dramatically.
"…Anyway. Oscar and Mocha apparently dressed up as furries and went to a furry convention."
Silence.
Utter silence.
Even the music in the coffee shop somehow seemed to pause in judgment. Ruby blinked twice. Weiss stared at Yang like she had just spoken an ancient curse.
Pyrrha lowered her tea very slowly and Blake looked spiritually wounded.
"…What?" Ruby finally whispered.
Yang lost control and started laughing.
"Yeah, apparently that happened."
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I'm sorry. I think I misheard you. Did you say furry convention?"
Yang pointed at her dramatically.
"Exactly what Ren said!"
Blake looked like she wanted to vanish into another dimension.
"…I don't even know what to say to that."
Yang grinned wider.
"Oh it gets better."
"It gets worse?" Pyrrha asked cautiously.
Yang nodded.
"Apparently Oscar gave her a heart shaped doggy biscuit or something."
Ruby nearly spat out her drink.
"He WHAT?"
"And Mocha agreed!" Yang continued while laughing harder. "Again, I don't really know the full details because Ren explained it."
Blake stared blankly ahead.
"…I think I preferred not knowing."
Weiss looked deeply disturbed.
"Why a biscuit specifically?"
Yang shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know! Maybe it was romantic in furry culture!"
Ruby buried her face into her hands while wheezing. Pyrrha actually laughed out loud this time. A soft genuine laugh escaped her lips as she leaned back in her chair.
Even Blake eventually cracked and covered her face while snickering despite herself.
"This friend group is a disaster," she muttered.
Yang proudly raised her cup.
"And yet you love us."
Blake sighed.
"…Unfortunately."
"Well anyway, I think Ren and Nora are currently on a double date with Mocha and Oscar."
Ruby raised a brow in consternation.
"Nora is there?!"
Yang burst into laughter.
"Oh absolutely."
Blake pinched the bridge of her nose immediately.
"That poor boy."
Weiss sighed softly.
"He's doomed to be teased by her."
And for just a little while, beneath the warmth of tea and idle conversation, the weight of missing someone became easier to carry.