The Dream Realm had never felt so awake.
It stretched beneath the floating coliseum like a slumbering titan, city streets winding through fractured architecture populated only by wandering Grimm. The sky above was not truly a sky but a luminous ceiling of shifting black ether, currents of dark aurora illuminated only by the celestial light of the broken bloody moon.
In the sky, held aloft by runic authority so immense it bent gravity into obedience, hovered the tournament arena.
The Vytal Tournament had begun.
Hosting it within the Dream Realm was both brilliant and precarious. Three Rank 3 Awakened would serve as referees to prevent catastrophic problems. One of them was Ozpin. The other two were unknown, unaffiliated powerhouses whose identities were not publicly disclosed.
It was odd, however.
If even one Rank 3 entered the Dream Realm, Rank 3 Grimm would be drawn to that presence as if pulled by fate itself. They hunted life force instinctively and Rank 3's were akin to bonfires in the dark. They sensed it like a wound in reality.
Three in one place should have been a beacon.
However, supposedly, countermeasures had been prepared. What those countermeasures were remained undisclosed, but confidence had radiated from the organizing branches. The Rank 3 Grimm would not interfere.
For now, that was enough.
The coliseum itself was breathtaking.
It spanned the size of roughly four city blocks, a massive ring of polished stone reinforced with layered runic energy. Support structures of golden light pulsed along the underside, keeping it suspended high above the Dream Realm city below. The arena floor shimmered faintly with safety parameters.
This was only for Rank 1 combat.
When the Rank 2 matches began, the stadium would expand into something that dwarfed even this scale. Several kilometers wide, capable of containing forces that bordered on apocalyptic.
Jaune tried not to think too deeply about that.
He had been told time and time again that Rank 3 power was comparable to nuclear weaponry. That description still felt abstract. Hard to fully conceptualize. He had seen power that bent terrain and rewrote physics.
And yet it was clear that he had been thinking fractionally.
He pushed the thought aside for now.
The stands were packed.
Hundreds of Rank 1 Awakened filled the coliseum seating, each clad in LUCID rune frame armor bearing the insignias of their respective kingdoms. Vale. Vacuo. Atlas. Mistral and... Menagerie.
The combined presence created a pressure in the air that was almost tangible.
So many Rank 1s gathered in one place was rare, considering that each awakened was a resource that had very little surplus. This meant that each LUCID branch had preselected its competitors carefully. These were the elite within their rank, filtered by performance and potential.
Jaune let his senses expand slightly.
His weakness sense brushed the crowd like invisible fingertips.
Power signatures flared across his perception. Some were volatile and deadly. Some were refined.
It was quite interesting.
He noticed something else.
Not many of them carried meta runes.
Out of the sea of signatures, only around ten registered with the distinct density and complexity that marked meta classification.
Meta runes were stronger and far more intricate, yet exponentially harder to reach comprehension in. Most Awakened struggled for years before being able to fully comprehend even a regular rune.
Jaune had two meta runes.
He did not let the awareness inflate his ego, but he could not deny it placed him in a narrow minority.
He leaned back slightly in his seat.
They were stadium style tiers. Weiss, Ruby and Blake sat just behind him. He could hear Ruby murmuring rapid observations under her breath while Weiss agreed or disagreed with her own corrected minor details.
In the row ahead, Oscar sat beside Pyrrha and Mocha. Oscar's was appearing unusually attentive, absorbing the atmosphere with wide eyed curiosity while Pyrrha watched the arena with an analytical gleam, already evaluating potential opponents.
Mocha was... drooling and staring at a group of handsome young operatives that were close-by? Jaune nodded sagely at this. Mocha was being her usual disgusting self.
To Jaune's immediate right sat Yang.
To his left sat Ren and Nora.
Except, Nora was not actually occupying her own seat.
She was sitting sideways across Ren's lap, arms wrapped around him in a koala like cling. Her head rested comfortably against his shoulder. Ren, showed no sign of discomfort. In fact, Jaune could have sworn there was a faint contentment in his expression.
Nora shifted slightly, tightening her grip.
Ren adjusted his hands gently around her waist.
Jaune looked away politely.
Yang nudged him with her elbow.
He turned to meet her bright violet gaze.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Maybe I should do a Nora impression with you?"
Jaune lazily looked her over. "You want to sit in my lap and cling on my like a koala?"
Yang's grin widened. "Exactly."
He gave her a slow once over. "Hmm... I'm not sure I can hold all your weight."
They both knew it was nonsense.
Rank 1 Awakened could bench press buses. Physical strength at this stage was absurd compared to normal humans.
Yang narrowed her eyes playfully and swatted his arm. "That's true. You couldn't handle all of me."
She shifted slightly in her seat and jutted her chest forward in a mock attempt at seduction.
Except her rune frame armor concealed everything beneath polished plates.
Jaune stared at the solid chest piece for a moment.
"…truly, you are the epitome of beauty." he deadpanned.
Yang snorted.
It had been a while since they had fallen into this familiar rhythm of teasing banter. Things have simply been problematic and tiring over the past few months. In addition to that, preparation had consumed most of their time.
This felt normal.
Easy and fun.
Yang leaned back, folding her arms across the armor plates. "So, golden boy."
Jaune raised a brow.
"What do you think about the competition?"
He shifted slightly, letting his perception widen just enough to sample the nearest clusters of power.
"It's dense mix," he said quietly.
"Dense how?" Yang asked.
"Some appear to be surface strong," Jaune replied. "They have high output and straightforward builds. Many of them appear to have heavy offensive capabilities, but I think their builds are more focused on battling grimm rather than other awakened. That doesn't mean they're not strong, just focused differently."
He glanced toward one section where a trio from Atlas radiated disciplined, tightly wound signatures.
"Yet some are... problematic. My sense tells me that even I'd probably have a very hard time against them."
He tilted his chin toward a group from Mistral whose aura pulsed like coiled silk.
"And a few…" His gaze moved across the crowd slowly. "A few are very interesting."
Yang smirked. "I'm listening."
"Not sure how to really explain it," Jaune murmured. "Their signatures are kind of compressed. I think... my sense is kind of telling me that these guys have reach comprehension. But... my sense can't really confirm if they have or if they haven't. They just have a greater sense of danger towards my own weakness. Does that make sense?"
"...I guess. So essentially, you're measuring your own weakness versus their strength to tell if they've reached comprehension?"
He exhaled softly.
"Basically. But it's a little hard to explain in words. It'll only make sense if you have the type of sense that I do."
"How about meta runes?"
"Ten meta rune carriers that I can sense, so far."
Yang's brows rose slightly. "Only ten?"
"Yeah, but what's weird is that five of them are from Menagerie. The rest are scattered between the other kingdoms. And I didn't include myself in this statistic."
She let out a low whistle. "Well... that sure is interesting, I suppose. I guess that's why you're so popular, aren't you?"
"I don't think rune classification is why people talk to me."
"Oh?" she teased. "Then what is it? It can't be because you sense their... weak points, now is it?"
He gave her a dry look.
Yang laughed.
Down in the arena, several Rank 2' officers moved to the center platform. The arrays brightened incrementally, signaling the imminent start of squad combat.
The air shifted.
Anticipation rippled through the stands like static before lightning.
Jaune felt it too.
This was more than a tournament.
There were a lot of stakes resting on this tourney. The Supreme rune, Creation and the potential recruitment for the expedition.
And perhaps something else beneath the surface.
His weakness sense brushed against one particular signature across the coliseum.
Golden and familiar.
Sun Wukong stood several sections away among the Vacuo representatives, posture relaxed yet alert.
Jaune's lips curved faintly.
.
.
Most competitors had already moved toward the arena entrance or taken their seats in the stands to observe the opening matches.
In one such corridor, partially shadowed by an archway, stood Cinder.
It was an odd sight.
A Rank 2 Awakened lingering in the Rank 1 sector.
Technically, Rank 2 participants had their own designated viewing platforms, elevated further up within the coliseum's superstructure. There was no reason for her to be here.
But no one questioned it because there was no one around to question it.
The corridor was empty, save for her and the two teenagers standing nearby.
Cinder leaned casually against the wall, one heel propped behind her, arms loosely folded. Her expression was calm, almost indulgent, as if the entire tournament unfolding above them was little more than an amusing stage play.
Before her stood a green haired teenage girl and a gray haired teenage boy.
Their eyes were unusually sharp.
Between the three of them, a special mind link born from the power of a rune pulsed quietly.
The green haired girl was the one currently speaking through it, her thoughts carrying clearly across the mental channel.
"It's a shame," she transmitted, her mental tone edged with faint irritation. "We won't be able to get our hands on Creation now."
The gray haired boy gave a small shrug, both physically and through the link, his mental voice dry.
"It would have been a hassle anyway. Even if we tried, we wouldn't succeed unless the Leader himself came. And if he did, this entire coliseum, not to mention the city and several areas beyond would become a war zone."
His assessment was correct.
Cinder's lips curved faintly.
"Now, now, my cute little students."
The words flowed silk smooth across the mind link.
Both teenagers stiffened almost imperceptibly and goosebumps prickled along their arms.
They would never admit it aloud, but something about the way she said that always unsettled them. It was neither maternal nor affectionate.
It was possessive.
Cinder straightened from the wall slowly, heels clicking once against polished stone as she shifted her weight.
"It doesn't matter," she continued mentally, her voice gentle yet threaded with quiet certainty. "Whether we obtain the Supreme Rune now… or later."
Her golden eyes flicked toward the ceiling, toward the arena above where hundreds of Awakened gathered beneath Ozpin's authority.
"The Leader will have it."
It wasn't a question or a declaration of hope. It was clear-as-mud statement.
"Sooner or later, all supreme runes will belong to him."
The green haired girl swallowed lightly, her mental presence tightening in instinctive acknowledgment.
The gray haired boy's thoughts sharpened.
"And if it's later?"
Cinder smiled slightly.
"Then it is better that its charge be expended first."
There was a soft pause in the link as the implication settled.
"After the tournament is concluded, the Keepers will stop drawing the Rank 3 grimm towards them." she continued.
Her gaze grew distant, calculating.
"Once the charge had been depleted by the kingdom that wins, Creation's security will relax and the immediate vigilance surrounding it will diminish."
Her smile widened faintly.
"And that," she finished, "is when acquisition becomes… simpler."
The gray haired boy nodded once, understanding.
The green haired girl's irritation faded, replaced by renewed focus.
Creation was not today's priority.
"We have larger matters to concern ourselves with," she said through the link.
The two teenagers straightened instinctively.
"The expedition," the gray haired boy said.
"Yes."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"The Shadow Realm."
It was an ancient place. Hostile and Untamed by human hands.
A place full of opportunity for Sleepless.
"If we secure positions on that expedition," Cinder continued, "we'll gain proximity to knowledge that even LUCID does not fully understand."
Her gaze flicked toward her two subordinates.
"Power grows fastest in chaos."
The green haired girl's thoughts sharpened with anticipation.
"And exposure."
"Yes," Cinder agreed smoothly. "Exposure."
Her smile did not falter.
"But risk is the currency of advancement."
She stepped away from the wall entirely now, standing upright before them.
"This tournament is not about winning for glory," she said softly. "It is about positioning."
The expedition would not take just anyone. They would select candidates who displayed adaptability, synergy, and potential for growth under extreme conditions.
Rank 1 squad combat would be watched carefully.
Rank 2 matches even more so.
Cinder herself did not need to prove much. She was a powerful meta rune holder, after all.
But her students did.
"You will perform well," she said gently.
It was not encouragement but expectation.
"Remember," she said through the link, her tone softening once more into that unsettling warmth. "Our path does not depend on this day alone."
Her gaze flicked upward again.
"The Leader's vision stretches far beyond a single tournament."
Her lips curved faintly.
"And we," she added, "are merely ensuring that when the moment comes… we are standing in the correct place."
.
.
AN: I decided to skip forwards a little. Figured there was no need to drag out the arrivals any longer than needed.