Jaune let the silence stretch for a moment longer.
His eyes were still fixed on the mechanical figure standing sentinel before the Nightmare Zone. It, simply standing there, felt weird in a way he could not quite articulate, like watching fire dancing amidst ice or something to that effect.
Finally, he broke the quiet.
"Is this, an illusion or something" Jaune said slowly, voice carrying equal parts disbelief and cautious humor, "or is that actually a robot?"
Blake tilted her head, studying the centurion with narrowed eyes. "Well... if it is a dream," she muttered thoughtfully, "it's a little bit weird."
Before Jaune could respond, she reached out and pinched his cheek hard.
"Ow," Jaune hissed, swatting her hand away and rubbing the spot. "What the hell was that for?"
Blake shrugged, utterly unapologetic. "Didn't want to pinch myself."
Jaune shot her a glare. "We are literally in the dream realm, and awakened like us can't even dream, you know?"
"Maybe I just felt like pinching you," Blake replied calmly.
Jaune was speechless. He sighed and shook his head, then both he and Blake turned in unison toward Weiss.
She was staring at the robot with her arms crossed. Her cheek was tight and her eyes were sharp with something that looked dangerously close to irritation. When she noticed their synchronized attention, her glare snapped to them.
"What?" Weiss snapped.
They didn't answer, simply staring at her with identical, flat expressions.
Weiss's annoyance visibly deepened and her lips pressed into a thin line. Her shoulders stiffened as if she were bracing herself. Jaune had the odd sense that whatever was bothering her had very little to do with them and everything to do with the machine standing twenty meters away.
Blake broke the silence. "So," she said evenly, "What exactly is that thing?"
"What makes you think I know?" Weiss said, a little defensively.
Jaune and Blake looked at each other then back at Weiss as if she was an idiot. "We're in Atlas, your homeground... you were once a part of the LUCID branch here..."
"That doesn't mean that I have every answer, you know?"
Blake raised an eyebrow. "So... you don't know what that thing is?"
Weiss huffed. "Of course I know what it is."
That earned her another long look from both of them.
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again and turned toward the android. Her posture shifted, spine straightening, voice becoming sharper and more authoritative.
"Centurion," Weiss said. "Report status."
The machine reacted instantly.
Its head rotated toward her, optics flaring faintly brighter. One of its mechanical legs adjusted position with a quiet click, as if bracing for inspection.
"Designation Centurion Group," it replied. "Units 010 through 020 deployed as solo patrol units within Atlas Dream Sector. Operational status nominal. Directive remains active under orders of Commander Schnee."
The words hung in the air.
Weiss's frown deepened, then hardened into a scowl so severe it could have cut glass.
Jaune blinked once, then twice.
"Okay," he said slowly, lifting a hand as if he were in a classroom. "I have... several questions."
Blake nodded. "Same."
Jaune gestured vaguely at the centurion. "First of all the er... robot is called a centurion?"
"Yes," Weiss replied flatly.
"And it's… clearly real," Jaune continued. "Which leads to my second question. Why is there a robot in the Dream Realm? Electricity doesn't—shouldn't work here."
Weiss lifted a hand to her face and pressed her palm against her forehead, massaging her temples as if trying to ward off an oncoming headache. "It's not electrical," she said. "At least not in the way you're thinking."
She lowered her hand and looked at them. "It's powered by runic energy."
Jaune and Blake both nodded instinctively.
"That makes sense," Blake said. "Unsettling, but logical."
Jaune's gaze flicked back to the centurion, then to the black mist behind it. "So this thing is running on runic power. That means it's product of a rune?"
"Sort of, yes." Weiss nodded.
Jaune frowned. "Sort of?"
"It's a bit of a long story. I thought I would have time to explain it later but... I guess since it's already here, explanations will have to start."
"Right... and it's strong enough to erase multiple Rank One Beringels like they were nothing?"
Weiss did not respond, yet Jaune's thoughts began to spiral.
Units 010 through 020.
That was ten units. Or eleven, depending on how one counted. But the numbering implied more. There had to be a 001. A 002. Possibly even a 000. And if the designation went up to 020, then it could go higher.
Much higher.
"How many of these exist," Jaune asked quietly.
Weiss's jaw tightened. "More than there should be."
Blake folded her arms. "That's not comforting."
Jaune swallowed. "Was this technology always available? When did Atlas make this kind of tech?"
Weiss hesitated.
That pause told him more than any answer could have.
"And... well... why haven't I heard of any of this before?" Jaune added.
"Because you weren't really supposed to. This is—to a degree—new technology." Weiss explained finally.
The weight of that settled heavily in Jaune's chest.
If Atlas had the ability to create autonomous constructs capable of operating in the Dream Realm, constructs that could use runic energy without being Awakened, then the implications were staggering. That would mean less danger for operatives overall. And more control over the dream realm.
Probably even wilderness area control.
Unless…
Jaune's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You said that these things were made from a rune?" he began carefully, "As in, a beyond comprehension level rune?"
Weiss looked at him sharply.
Blake's lips twitched. "You're thinking a Rank Two?"
Jaune nodded. "That's the only way it makes sense. A person that can command a rune at Mastery level could impose their Will continuously and possibly sustain a construct like this for a long time. I'm not sure how exactly, but from what we've seen so far, rank 2's can do amazing things. To anchor into the Dream Realm, like this doesn't seem too far fetched."
Weiss didn't deny it.
Instead, she looked away.
Jaune exhaled slowly. "So Atlas has Rank Two operatives who can make… these. Researchers? That's quite impressive."
The machine remained motionless, weapons idle and its attention focused on the Nightmare Zone as if the three of them were already irrelevant. Jaune forced himself to refocus. However, there was one more thing gnawing at him.
"Commander Schnee," he said. "That's your sister, isn't it?"
Weiss closed her eyes.
"Unfortunately no." she denied quietly. "Winter's designation in Atlas is a little special. She is known as a Specialist, not a commander. The term specialist is only given to operatives at Rank 2 who have created a meta rune."
That was good knowledge to know... but it didn't explain anything.
Jaune let out a slow breath. "Weiss, come on, you got to throw us a bone here. What're you not telling us?"
"Look... the centurion being here is a mistake. It isn't even supposed to be here in the first place, and furthermore, I thought that I'd have a bit more time before the ball to explain everything to you."
"The ball? So this has something to do with your father?"
"Yes."
Blake tilted her head slightly. "Wait, your father...? Don't tell me... he's the one who is supposed to be Commander Schnee? Last I heard, he didn't have any connections to the military. And besides being a shareholder who supplies LUCID, he doesn't have that type of status. Is your father an awakened as well?"
Weiss's voice tightened. "My father, unfortunately is indeed the one who the centurions call, Commander Schnee and... no, he isn't awakened, Blake. The reason why I can't really explain all of this properly is because this is technically top secret, need to know knowledge. It can't be told to anybody. It's only because I'm a Schnee, myself that I know about these things."
Jaune frowned. "Top secret knowledge? Then why are we seeing it now?"
Weiss looked back at the Nightmare Zone. At the centurion standing guard. At the pulsing red motes that seemed unwilling to advance.
"Because my father must have finally gotten permission from Ironwood to field test these things." she said.
Jaune felt a chill settle in his spine. There was something off about her words. Like there was a deeper connotation about these centurions that Jaune wasn't understanding.
They stood there for a moment longer, three Rank One Awakened staring at a future that had quietly arrived.
Jaune finally broke the silence again, voice softer this time. "Okay... so you can't tell us anything. Well the, what can you tell us?"
The centurion shifted slightly, optics glowing brighter as the Nightmare Zone continued to churn.
Weiss eyes seemed to shine with a dark glow. A mixture of disgust, sadness and an unknown emotion seemed to coalesce within the depths of her beautiful icy-blue eyes. Her next statement sent a burgeoning chill crawling into his spine.
"I'll tell you this."
She paused.
"Centurions used to be living operatives."
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AN: Advanced chapters are available on patreon