The LUCID base shifted from anticipation to motion as one by one, the expedition members began moving towards their assigned pods.
Jaune watched for a moment, letting his eyes sweep across the chamber.
There were many of them.
Fifty of them in total.
Ten Rank 2s and fourty Rank 1s.
A mix of skill sets, backgrounds, and temperaments drawn from every major region. Atlas, Vale, Mistral, Vacuo and Menagerie. Different styles and philosophies, all converging here under a single objective.
Not all of them were fighters.
Jaune's gaze lingered briefly on a smaller cluster of ten operatives near the far row of pods. These were the specialists. Rune users with construction capabilities and researchers tasked with something just as critical as survival.
They would be the ones to build and shape the base. To establish something where nothing existed.
Among them, four individuals carried shadow Runes. Not on the same level as Raven's, not even close, but enough to grant them a degree of compatibility with the environment they were about to enter.
Enough to matter, at least.
Their role was clear. Stabilization, adaptation and foothold creation.
Because the Shadow Realm couldn't be entered physically, everything that stepped into had to do so through a shadow, which meant leaving the body behind. That alone made sustained operations impossible without preparation.
So they would create a point of entry. A fixed location, if you will, for subsequent future expeditions. A seed that would, over time, grow into something larger and something permanent.
Hopefully.
It sounded simple when laid out like that but it was anything but.
His attention shifted again, this time toward the individuals themselves. Over the past week, the expedition members had taken the time to learn about each other.
Names, abilities and tendencies.
Joint training sessions had also been carefully structured to build cohesion where none existed before. Squads of ten had been formed, rotated, tested under different shadow realm simulations. They had learned how to move together and how to cover each other.
"Alright."
Ozpin's voice cut through the chamber.
He stood at the forefront, near the central portal structure, his presence drawing every eye without effort. The room quieted almost instantly, conversations fading, movement slowing as attention converged on him.
Ozpin's gaze swept across the gathered expedition members, calm and measured.
"You all know why you are here. There is no need for repetition."
A faint pause followed, just long enough to let the weight of that settle.
"What lies beyond this operation is uncertain. The Shadow Realm is not a place we truly understand, nor one that welcomes intrusion. And yet, you have all chosen to step forward regardless. You carry with you, not just your own strength, but the hopes of those who will follow. What you establish today will determine what is possible tomorrow."
Ozpin inclined his head slightly.
"For that, you have my gratitude. And... the gratitude of all of humanity.
There was no grand flourish or dramatic conclusion. Just sincerity.
"Proceed to your pods."
The moment broke and movement resumed.
Jaune stepped forward, falling into line with the others as they approached the rows of pods. The closer he got, the more he could feel the faint vibration beneath the floor, a low, constant hum that seemed to resonate with something deeper than machinery.
His gaze shifted toward the center of the chamber.
The two pylons.
Two massive structures stood opposite each other, their surfaces etched with complex arrays that glowed faintly with contained energy. They weren't new.
These were the same Pylons that had been commandeered from Belmont.
Spoils of war.
Now they stood here, repurposed, their function altered but no less significant. Jaune didn't understand the specifics of how they functioned entirely, but from what had been taught to him, the energy inside had been repurposed and changed to shadow runic energy, which would allow them to create a sustained portal to the shadow realm.
Between them lay the portal device, itself.
A large circular structure embedded directly into the floor.
This would be their gateway.
Jaune reached his pod.
It stood open, the interior lined with adaptive material that would conform to his body once he lay down. Thin conduits traced along the sides, ready to administer nutrient fluid and maintain physiological stability.
He paused for a fraction of a second, before stepping in.
The surface adjusted instantly beneath him, cool at first, then gradually warming as it synced with his body temperature. The edges of the pod began to rise, panels sliding into place with soft mechanical precision.
Around him, others were doing the same.
The last thing he saw before the lid fully sealed was the faint glow of the pylons intensifying.
A low tone sounded.
Then another.
And then—
His awareness shifted.
It was as if something beneath his perception had been grasped and gently pulled free. His consciousness slid downward, through something less defined. His body remained, anchored and distant, while something else moved.
His shadow.
The transition was strange and almost unfamiliar in execution but not entirely foreign. The expedition members had already tested the device the couple of times to ensure there were no issues. The sensation had an an almost familiar echo of the Dream Realm in it, a faint resemblance in the way reality seemed to loosen its grip.
But this was different.
Denser and heavier.
More… grounded, in a sense.
Back in the chamber, the system reached its peak.
The pylons flared and energy surged between them, arcing in controlled streams that fed directly into the circular device embedded in the floor. The runic channels ignited in sequence, each one lighting up with precise timing.
Then the center responded and the surface of the device shifted.
At first, it looked like a distortion.
Then, it deepened.
Darkness pooled at its core, spreading outward like liquid ink dropped into still water. The light around it seemed to bend and thin, as if space itself was being rewritten.
No sound accompanied its formation. No crackle of energy or hum of power.
Just absence.
Moments later, the shadows moved.
Across the chamber floor, beneath each pod, shapes began to stretch and detach.
One by one, the shadows of the expedition members peeled away from their physical forms, drawn toward the portal as if guided by an unseen current.
They slid across the ground, fluid and seamless, converging at the center.
And without resistance, they all entered.
.
.
The chamber did not fall silent after the shadows vanished. If anything, it became busier.
Rows of researchers moved between consoles, their screens alive with shifting data streams, fluctuating energy signatures, and layered diagnostic readouts that updated faster than the eye could comfortably follow.
Ozpin watched the data with Goodwitch at his side.
Neither of them spoke immediately, opting to watch, instead.
The portal remained open and its ink-like surface was perfectly still, as if nothing had passed through it at all. The pylons continued to hum, their energy output steady, controlled. Everything appeared stable.
But appearances meant very little here.
A cluster of researchers worked nearby, exchanging rapid observations in low voices.
"Energy flow is holding steady."
"No fluctuation in portal density."
"Lattice integrity is stable across all channels."
"Link persistence is confirmed across all fifty signatures."
One of them turned toward Ozpin, adjusting his glasses as he spoke.
"So far, everything is stable. No irregularities detected, sir."
Ozpin gave a small nod, his gaze still fixed on the portal below.
"And the perpetuity rune imprint?" he asked.
The researcher glanced back at his console, fingers moving quickly as he brought up a specific data set.
"No signs of degradation," he replied. "The imprint is holding exactly as intended."
He paused briefly, as if considering how best to phrase the next part.
"After the displacement energy was replaced with shadow rune energy, the perpetuity function adapted seamlessly. Instead of sustaining displacement runic energy, it is sustaining shadow runic energy."
Glynda's eyes narrowed slightly at that, though she said nothing.
Ozpin hummed softly in acknowledgment.
"I see."
His expression did not change, but there was a quiet weight behind his eyes now. Thoughtful. Measuring.
"Continue monitoring," he said calmly. "Inform me immediately if anything deviates from expectation."
"Yes, Commander."
Ozpin turned away from the consoles, his gaze drifting once more toward the portal. Glynda followed his line of sight, her posture as composed as ever, though the tension beneath it was unmistakable.
.
.
Jaune opened his eyes.
But there wasn't exactly a sensation of eyelids lifting, no shift from darkness to light in the way he was used to. Instead, his awareness simply… surfaced. Like rising through still water and finding himself already at the top.
The world around him was muted and stripped bare.
Everything stretched out in shades of black, white and gray. The ground beneath him was a deep, matte black. It carried subtle rises and dips, uneven in a way that suggested form without ever fully committing to it.
The only color in this place was them.
Jaune blinked and adjusted slowly, his gaze instinctively dropping to his hands.
They were there and yet, they weren't.
His fingers flexed slowly, and he watched as they moved with perfect responsiveness. Five digits which at first glance carried the same shape and proportions. But the surface wasn't skin. It looked like skin—solid and carrying a faint tone that mimicked life, but there was a softness to its edges, like it was always on the verge of blurring.
He reached up with one hand and pressed it lightly against the other.
The sensation of touch and pressure came through.
But it felt… off.
Like he was feeling through a layer of something intangible. A shadow of a sensation rather than the real thing. His mind understood what he was touching, but the feedback lacked the depth he was used to.
"…Weird," he muttered under his breath.
Even his voice carried oddly, sounding different. Slightly hollow, like it had more space than it should.
Jaune lowered his hands slowly, forcing himself to look outward.
The Shadow Realm.
It matched what he had been taught.
An endless expanse stretched in every direction, a vast, ambiguous landscape that refused to resolve into anything concrete. There were rises in the terrain, uneven patches where the ground seemed to swell upward, but the distance made it impossible to tell what they truly were.
Hills?
Mountains?
Something else entirely?
Perspective felt somewhat unreliable here.
Like the world itself didn't care to be understood.
'Truly a shadow of reality.'
Jaune tried to focus on a distant shape. It didn't get clearer. If anything, it felt like the more he looked, the less certain it became, as if the act of observation alone caused it to shift.
He exhaled slowly and tilted his head upward.
Hanging above them was something that resembled a sun, but only in concept. A perfect circle suspended in the void, darker than the space around it, yet somehow still radiating.
A black sun.
It cast light.
A dim, ambient illumination spread across the realm. It didn't create shadows as everything already was one.
The effect was unsettling in a quiet, persistent way.
Like standing in a place that wasn't meant to exist, yet clearly did.
Jaune an odd type of creeping terror start to entangle his soul. Familiarity was being replaced by something foreign.
He pushed his mind away from the thought and lowered his gaze.
'Focus.'
He closed his eyes again and his awareness turned inward, searching for something familiar.
And he found it.
His runes, Weakness and Plunder were still there.
He could feel them like distant engines idling beneath the surface, ready to respond the moment he called on them.
The connection hadn't been severed. If anything, it felt... deeper? Understanding bloomed within him.
Because he didn't really have a body in this world, he was closer to the approximation of his soul. And since his runes were a part of his soul, he was closer to them.
Jaune opened his eyes again, a small breath leaving him.
"Good," he murmured.
Around him, the others were going through similar adjustments.
Some stood still, staring at their hands like he had. Others tested their movement, taking cautious steps across the strange terrain. A few were already speaking in low voices, comparing sensations, grounding themselves in shared experience.
The Rank 2s adapted faster. They had stronger Wills, after all.
Qrow stood a short distance away, rolling one shoulder as if testing the range of motion in this new form. Taiyang flexed his hands, his expression more focused than confused. Raven… didn't seem bothered at all. She stood with the same composure she had in the real world, her presence unchanged, as if this environment had simply accepted her without resistance.
That made sense.
If anyone would feel at home in a place like this…
Jaune let the thought trail off.
The researchers and specialists began gathering closer together, some already kneeling to examine the ground, others activating their runes in small, controlled bursts to test interaction with the environment.
There was a brief moment of stillness like a collective pause.
Then—
"Alright!"
Qrow's voice cut across the expanse, sharp and grounded in a way that anchored everything around it.
Heads turned and movement stilled.
"Get to work."