Jaune stood in the threshold of his own house, a cardboard box tucked under one arm, and stared at the scene before him like a man who had stepped into the wrong dimension. Or perhaps the right one, just unexpectedly louder than he'd expected.
"You know... when you guys proposed moving in with me," Jaune said slowly, raising his voice just enough to crest over the din, "I wasn't really expecting… all this." He shifted his weight, eyes tracking movement from room to room. "Also, isn't it just supposed to be Nora and Ren? Why are all of you here?"
The question floated unanswered through the air like a balloon someone forgot to tie down.
To his left, the living room had been converted into a competitive arena of questionable logic. Yang stood at one end of the coffee table, sleeves rolled up, golden eyes narrowed in exaggerated focus. Across from her, Blake mirrored the stance in a calm if unreadable way. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Between them sat two sets of triangle of plastic cups, each filled not with beer, but soda in an assortment of violently clashing colors.
Yang flicked a ping pong ball into the air, spun once on her heel for no reason whatsoever, and tossed it backward over her shoulder. The ball arced high, clipped the edge of a lampshade, bounced off the wall, and landed neatly in a cup.
"Heheh, yes," Yang said, pumping a fist. "Called it."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "You did not call that."
"I called the vibe," Yang replied cheerfully. "Which means that it totally counts."
Blake sighed, picked up her own ball, and without looking, bounced it off the floor, the couch, and the underside of the table before it plopped into a cup dead center. She glanced up then, eyes flicking briefly toward Jaune.
"We're housewarming," Blake said simply.
Yang grinned. "House-warming indeed." She snapped a finger and a flame ignited on her index, which she used to trace a flaming heart in the air. "Also boredom..."
Jaune opened his mouth, then closed it again as the sound of button mashing and triumphant laughter erupted from the other side of the room.
"Ruby, that move is cheap and you know it, you can't keep using that!" Oscar protested, leaning forward on the couch, knuckles white around his controller.
Ruby didn't look away from the screen. Her eyes gleamed with the feral joy of someone who had already tasted victory and was savoring it.
"It's in the game," she said brightly. "That means it's fair."
Oscar's character was launched across the screen in a flurry of pixels and dramatic sound effects. A moment later, the words KNOCKOUT flashed in bold letters.
"Yes," Ruby said, hopping to her feet. "That's seven in a row. New record."
Oscar groaned and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "I am never playing you again."
Ruby gasped, clutching her chest. "You can't just quit. What about the rematch tradition?"
"The tradition," Oscar muttered, "is bullcrap."
Near the dining table, which had been pushed against the wall and covered in a plastic sheet, another competition was unfolding with quieter intensity. Weiss stood perfectly straight, hands hovering delicately as her rune created shards of crystallized frost that hovered in the air with shimmering icy blue light, assembling themselves into a long, sinuous form.
An Eastern Dragon.
Mocha sat cross legged on the floor, her Pixel rune projecting tiny glowing cubes that snapped together with sharp, digital clicks. Her dragon was already complete in silhouette, jagged wings spread wide, its eyes glowing a fierce crimson as it let out a synthetic roar sound that she made herself.
"Um... I think yours has too many spikes," Weiss said without looking. "It seriously lacks refinement."
Mocha smirked. "Dragons are supposed to look dangerous, Ice Queen."
Pyrrha, seated between them, stared down at her own creation with intense concentration. Her hands moved carefully, coaxing the metallic material into shape, smoothing edges, adjusting proportions. The result was… earnest and... perhaps noble in intent. Unfortunately, her dragon sagged slightly in the middle and the head was a little too round, not to mention the wings which were uneven.
Jaune recognized the look on her face instantly. Determination battling frustration.
"It's... elegant," Pyrrha said, a touch defensive.
Mocha tilted her head. "It looks retarded."
Weiss paused, finally glancing over. Her lips twitched before she could stop them. "Mocha, language! Besides, I think it has... character."
Pyrrha sighed, shoulders slumping. "I am going to start over."
From the hallway came the sound of footsteps and muffled conversation. Ren and Nora emerged, each carrying a box, their movements practiced and in sync. Nora's was nearly as big as she was, yet she carried it with ease, grinning as if this were the best day of her life.
"Jaune's beds have heated blankets, Ren." Nora announced cheerfully. "I knew that our previous apartment manager was scamming us of our money!"
Ren nodded. "There was something shifty about her."
Jaune watched them pass, something warm and complicated settling in his chest. They moved like people who had already decided this place was home.
The two's backstory was quite interesting. Due to a grimm attack on the real world years ago, they both became orphans and found themselves sharing an apartment. When the opportunity had come up, when Jaune's father was suddenly absent from the picture, the idea had been simple. Pool resources and live together.
Well, considering that their pay from LUCID was really good, the didn't really need to move in with him. They could have simply just bought themselves a new house at this point. Yet, according to Nora, this was a more exciting experience.
Jaune wasn't opposed to it either. He just hadn't expected the stability to come with… all this.
The house continued to hum with life, laughter overlapping conversations, the low thrum of energy that came from people who felt comfortable enough to exist loudly.
Jaune exhaled through his nose, a small smile tugging at his lips despite himself.
"Right," he murmured. "Of course."
He set the box down carefully and slipped out the back door.
The backyard was quiet in comparison, the sounds of the house muffled behind glass and walls. A single foldable chair sat near the fence, slightly crooked. Jaune unfolded it and lowered himself into the seat, letting the cool night air wash over him.
The neighborhood lights glowed around him, a soft haze that swallowed most of the light from the sky. Normally, that would have been the end of it. A few bright points at best. But Jaune's body stat let him push past the interference, his senses cutting through the pollution like a blade through fog.
The stars revealed themselves slowly, one by one, scattered across the heavens in quiet defiance.
Jaune tilted his head back, breath catching.
It was always like this. Every time.
The Dream Realm had no stars. Only the broken moon, bleeding light through fractured black clouds. A sky that pressed down on you, heavy with threat and inevitability. There was beauty there, in a way, but it was a beauty sharpened into something cruel.
This was different.
This was gentle.
"Hey," a voice said softly.
Jaune glanced to his side. Pyrrha stood a few steps away, hands clasped behind her back. The glow from the house framed her silhouette.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Go ahead."
She sat in the grass beside him, folding her legs beneath her. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"It's loud in there," Pyrrha said eventually, smiling faintly. "But… nice."
Jaune chuckled. "That's one word for it."
She followed his gaze upward, eyes widening slightly as the stars came into focus. "I sometimes forget how beautiful the real sky is."
"Yeah," Jaune said quietly. "You don't appreciate it until you've seen one without it."
They sat in companionable silence until the door creaked open again. Ruby poked her head out, eyes immediately snapping upward.
"Oh," she whispered. "You're stargazing."
She padded over and plopped down between them, hugging her knees. "It's kind of crazy, isn't it? We fight monsters in nightmares and then come back to… this."
Jaune smiled. "Crazy good."
From inside, Yang's voice rang out. "Blake, stop cheating with geometry."
"I am not cheating," Blake replied. "I am optimizing."
Ruby giggled. "See? Normal."
The backyard settled back into its quiet rhythm, the house behind them still alive with muffled laughter and the occasional thump of something being knocked over indoors. Crickets filled the spaces in between, their chorus threading through the night. Jaune remained leaned back in his chair, hands folded over his stomach, eyes fixed on the stars as though they might rearrange themselves if he stared long enough.
Pyrrha watched him for a moment before speaking, her voice gentle so as not to disturb the stillness he seemed wrapped in.
"So, a day ago, you mentioned wanting to create a new rune."
He hummed in response, not turning his head.
"Any thoughts so far one what you want?" she asked. "You clearly have an idea in mind already, don't you?"
Jaune inhaled slowly, the cool air filling his lungs. He had already imbued his teleport rune and gave it away for LUCID scientists to study. It's purpose was fulfilled and its structure was absorbed into his understanding. His rune count also sat just shy of where he needed it to be. Jaune just needed to kill two more Grimm. The thought hovered at the edge of his mind, practical and distant.
He did not answer right away.
Ruby leaned forward slightly, elbows on her knees, peering at him from beneath her hood. "C'mon don't leave us in suspense. Since you've gone all quiet... it means you're thinking about something scary or something really cool."
"How about both?" Jaune challenged.
He remained staring upward, stars glittering like scattered glass. "Truthfully, I am not entirely certain it's going to work the way I intend it to," he admitted. "But if I can get the imaging and intent just right, then the Nightmare system might actually create something… extraordinary."
The words drifted out of him in a smooth, thoughtful stream, unhurried and unanchored to a direct explanation.
Ruby blinked and Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion.
They both stared at him.
"That, didn't answer the question at all!" Ruby whined
Jaune chuckled, the sound soft and self aware. He turned his head toward them at last, eyes warm with amusement and something else beneath it, something sharper.
"Yeah," he said. "I guess it didn't."
He straightened slightly in the chair, resting his forearms on his knees. "Honestly, I'm not sure how to properly explain it. At this point, my rune is more of a feeling than a solid thought."
Pyrrha smiled faintly. "Then perhaps a hint."
Jaune considered that. He tapped a finger against his knee, then nodded once. "Well... I'm aiming for another meta rune."
The night seemed to pause.
Ruby's eyes widened just a fraction and Pyrrha's brows knit together, thoughtful and faintly incredulous.
"Another one?" Ruby hesitantly asked.
Jaune shrugged lightly. "That's the idea."
They were quiet for a moment, the weight of that statement settling in. Meta runes were rare, but not uncommon enough that awakened individuals never touched one in their entire career. They required a greater level of comprehension than regular runes. Which essentially meant it was a lot harder to reach that level.
To create one as a first rune was already exceptional. To attempt a second was… bold especially considering Jaune and his situation. The very fact that Jaune had reached comprehension in under a year for his own meta rune was... honestly an incredible achievement.
"Are you sure a second meta rune is wise?," Pyrrha said carefully. "I know Weakness is at comprehension now, but you're still under a time limit, are you not? What happens if you don't reach comprehension and become a rank 2 in time to... search for your dad?"
"Yeah..." Ruby added. "Don't you think it's a little... um... foolhardy?"
Jaune smiled at that. "Maybe. But don't you think this isn't enough?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it Ruby, Pyrrha. With Sleepless now making large moves, we can't afford to take things slow anymore. Sometimes, risks have to be taken. As for my dad and his ultimatum..." Jaune sighed. "I'm still not sure what to make of it, but my dad doesn't hate my family. That is one thing I'm certain of. He loves them—us. He might be a criminal... and his motives are unknown but he has been protecting my family for all of our lives. And that hasn't changed. Im sure of it"
Jaune paused to let the information sink in.
"There is clearly more information at play here. Which means that even if I do miss the timeline for becoming a rank 2... my dad wont simply abandon them. Even if they are to become awakened."
Pyrrha and Ruby both turned back to look at the stars.
"I hope you're right Jaune. For your sake." Pyrrha uttered with a hint of softness to her voice.
Jaune hoped he was right too. His Weakness rune had already proven how effective a meta rune could be when properly aligned. It could soften and peel away advantages, making both physical strength and environmental locations less certain.
Yet, it's power alone was not enough.
Rune synchronicity mattered, especially at later stages.
"In any case, I need to make something that meshes well. Something that can... deepen what Weakness already does."
"So a debuff type rune," Ruby said immediately. "That makes sense."
Pyrrha leaned forward, interest sparking. "Something that restricts movement, perhaps. I've heard of a meta rune called Slow. Maybe something along that line?"
"Gravity," Ruby added, snapping her fingers. "If you could make something that multiplies weight. That would stack really well with Weakness. Especially since you can turn the ground into liquid, or whatever it is you're doing."
"I'm weakening molecular bonds, but yeah. Liquid-ish. Depends on the substance I'm manipulating."
Jaune commented idly while listening, nodding slightly as they spoke.
Pyrrha continued, warming to the idea. "There are also sensory debuffs. Distorted perception. Reduced reaction speed. Or even interference with aura flow."
Ruby's eyes lit up. "What about something law based? Like, messing with the rules a little. A rune that makes people burn aura faster than they expect when they act."
"That would be effective," Pyrrha said. "Or pain feedback. A movement penalty where the body resists itself."
Ruby shuddered. "That sounds awful. Effective, but awful."
Jaune smiled, but shook his head slowly.
"I'm not even sure I can conceptualize that properly," he said. "So... probably not those."
Ruby frowned. "Not slow or gravity or aura tax or pain?"
"Hah, probably not."
Pyrrha studied him closely. "Then what inspiration are you going to be drawing from?"
Jaune leaned back again, folding his hands behind his head. His gaze returned to the stars, pupils reflecting their distant light.
"I am taking inspiration from our greatest ally," he said.
Ruby and Pyrrha exchanged a look.
"Our greatest ally?" Ruby echoed. "You mean like… Ozpin?"
Jaune shook his head.
"Qrow?" Ruby tried.
Another shake.
"Sometimes… allies are not always people." He smiled faintly.
They waited.
The silence stretched, but he did not elaborate. He simply lay there, breathing steadily, eyes locked onto the heavens.
The greatest ally that Jaune was referring to wasn't a person nor a place, but rather... a thing. The thing.
The Nightmare system.
It was structure, intent and consequence. It was the force that bound the Dream Realm together, the mechanism that granted awakened individuals power even as it tested them relentlessly. It guided. It punished. It rewarded.
It sealed away the Sleeper.
It nudged humanity forward, again and again, through terror and trial.
So why not take a little inspiration from what it was doing?
.
.
AN: I'm back, and so are the daily chapters.
Advanced chapters are available on patreon.