It had been two days since the tournament and news had spread quickly among the awakened community of Vale's victory. With that victory came the temporary privilege of studying something far older and far more mysterious than most people could even imagine.
The Supreme Rune of Creation.
For one week, Vale would be allowed to observe it and for one week, the greatest minds in the kingdom would try to extract even the smallest piece of understanding from its existence.
Ruby and Yang, however, were not currently thinking about that.
Instead, they were standing in the middle of a brightly colored carnival street packed with music, food stalls, and laughing crowds.
A large wooden archway hung over the entrance with a flashy sign painted in gold and red letters.
CarniVale.
Yang had been absolutely delighted and was chattering about for a full minute when she first saw the sign.
Ruby still was not entirely convinced the name was good.
The place itself was currently themed around Mistral culture. Lanterns of red and gold hung from strings across the streets while colorful banners fluttered gently in the night-time breeze. Stalls lined both sides of the walkway, selling snacks, souvenirs, and carnival games that drew loud cheers from participants.
It was packed.
Apparently the city hosted themed festivals in this area four times a year, and this particular one had drawn a huge crowd.
Ruby didn't mind.
She was far too busy eating.
"Okay," she said between bites. "This is amazing."
Yang nodded with equal enthusiasm.
"Right?"
Both sisters stood near a food stall holding small trays filled with round golden balls of food drizzled in sauce and sprinkled with green flakes.
Takoyaki.
Apparently it was made with octopus. Ruby had hesitated for about three seconds before trying it. Now she was fully convinced whoever invented it deserved a medal.
Across from them, Taiyang stood with his arms crossed.
He looked mildly offended.
"You know," he said, "now that you two are technically making money, I feel like I should be the one getting treated to snacks."
Neither girl responded, both of them simply continued eating.
Taiyang narrowed his eyes.
"I raised you two, you know?"
Still no response.
Ruby popped another octopus ball into her mouth and even Yang hummed happily.
Taiyang sighed deeply.
"Ungrateful children."
Ruby finally swallowed her food and looked up. "You literally just bought these two minutes ago."
Yang nodded.
"Yeah."
Taiyang grumbled under his breath. "That's not the point."
The sisters exchanged a glance, then they both turned back to their food. Taiyang waited but neither girl reacted.
He rubbed his temples. "I'm being ignored, aren't I."
"Yes," Ruby and Yang said at the same time.
Taiyang sighed again.
Despite his complaints, the man looked relaxed. The truth was he had insisted on bringing them here.
The past few weeks had been intense for him. Patrols all over, the Vytal tournament, and everything surrounding the awakening community had filled his own life with responsibilities that most people never had to worry about.
So today was different. In a way, to Taiyang hanging out with his two daughters and treating them was a form of great stress relief for him. Something about their presence charged the depleted battery of his soul.
And tonight the two girls were happy to just spend time with their dad. Yang tossed the empty tray into a nearby trash bin and stretched her arms.
"Alright," she said. "What's next?"
Ruby immediately pointed toward a nearby game stall.
"Fish scooping!"
The stall had a shallow pool filled with colorful fish swimming lazily in circles. Participants were given a small paper scoop and had to catch as many fish as possible before the fragile scoop broke.
Taiyang raised an eyebrow. "You do realize you two are basically superhuman, right?"
Yang grinned.
"Yeah."
Ruby nodded seriously. "We'll go easy."
Taiyang looked unconvinced. Still, he followed them over.
The stall owner handed each of them a scoop. Ruby crouched beside the pool and carefully dipped the thin paper net into the water. Her movements were slow and precise. She watched the fish drift near the surface before gently sliding the scoop underneath one.
The fish landed inside the net.
Success.
Yang crouched beside her. She stared at the water for a moment. Then she attempted the same maneuver.
Her scoop immediately tore apart.
The fish swam away and Ruby blinked in confusion.
Yang stared at the empty frame of her scoop.
"…Okay, maybe I used a little too much strength?" She offered, slightly unconvinced.
Taiyang snorted and Ruby tried very hard not to laugh.
After a few more attempts and Yang subtly cheating using her rune, they moved on to the next attraction.
A cork gun shooting booth.
Rows of colorful plush toys hung from the back wall while several small cork rifles rested on the counter.
Yang grabbed one immediately. "Oh yeah," she said. "This is my kind of game."
Taiyang leaned against the booth.
"Remember, kids," he said, "moderation."
Yang rolled her eyes.
"I know, I know."
She raised the cork gun and took aim at the row of small metal targets. The cork popped out with a soft thud.
Three targets fell over instantly.
Yang blinked.
"…Oops."
Ruby burst into laughter while Taiyang could only sigh.
"Moderation," he repeated.
Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "Right."
Eventually Ruby managed to win a small plush toy shaped like a smiling cat. Yang won a larger one after several attempts.
Taiyang somehow ended up with a bright pink stuffed octopus. None of them were entirely sure how that happened.
As they walked further into the carnival, the sound of mechanical tracks rattling overhead caught Ruby's attention.
She looked up. The roller coaster curved above the festival streets like a twisting metal dragon.
Ruby's eyes sparkled.
"Ooh."
Yang grinned.
"Oooh."
Taiyang saw the looks on their faces.
"Really?"
Five minutes later they were seated in the front row of the coaster. The ride shot forward. Ruby and Yang laughed like maniacs and Taiyang was... well, unaffected.
Well, truth be told, Ruby and Yang themselves weren't particularly affect by the g-forces, considering their Rank 1 constitutions, but the atmosphere was fun.
When the ride finally ended, the three of them got off the platform.
Ruby looked exhilarated and Yang looked thrilled.
They found a bench nearby and sat down.
For a moment the three of them simply watched the carnival crowds moving through the lantern lit streets.
Then Taiyang spoke.
"You know," he said, "this place really Vale-ues its puns."
Ruby groaned.
"Dad."
Taiyang grinned proudly.
Yang pointed toward the entrance sign.
"You mean the CarniVale pun?"
Taiyang nodded enthusiastically while Ruby buried her face in her hands.
Yang continued.
"I guess you could say this place really knows how to draw a crowd."
Now it was Taiyang's turn to groan. "That's not even a pun. Its just terrible."
Yang looked pleased with herself but the girl's father shook his head.
"Seems like I've created a monster."
Ruby peeked up from behind her hands.
"You started it."
Taiyang shrugged.
"True."
For a while they just sat there, watching the lights and listening to the music. Enjoying the rare moment of normalcy.
Eventually Ruby looked towards her father.
"The Shadow realm expedition is coming up, isn't it?"
He nodded, face serene.
"Yeah. It's going to happen in about five days from now."
Ruby tilted her head.
"Has everyone been finalized yet?"
Taiyang nodded his head, sparing her a quick glance.
"Yes. A lot of the expedition group is going to be taken from the tournament fighters. Why do you ask, kiddo? Are you sad that you weren't chosen?"
Ruby thought about that for a moment, humming.
Then she shrugged.
"Eh."
Yang nodded.
"I am. Slightly. I got to admit that a place like the shadow realm? Hell, I didn't even know that was even a thing until Jaune explained everything."
Taiyang hummed.
"Jaune, huh. That's you friend right? The blonde kid with two meta runes?"
The girls nodded.
"Well, he's a little interesting, that's for sure. But anyway, to answer your question, the expedition and the shadow realm itself wasn't exactly advertised, nor was it kept a secret. It just simply was. Now however... times are changing, and we need as much of an edge against our enemies as we can possibly get. This time, the expedition has to show results or... the future might be a little problematic."
What was interesting, however was Taiyang's expression. Ruby caught a odd hint in his eyes that Taiyang was leaving out some specific information.
'Could dad be hiding something about the Shadow Realm? This might be another Rank-based secret which I won't be able to get. I might have to talk to Jaune about this and see if he knows anything else.'
Ruby and Yang didn't really know what to say to that, but neither of them cared much right now. The Supreme Rune of Creation was important. So was the Shadow Realm. But that was a problem for the adults and the researchers.
Today they were just sisters spending time with their dad at a carnival. And for that moment, it was more than enough.
.
.
Jaune leaned back slightly in his seat and let out a quiet breath through his nose.
'Damn,' he thought to himself. 'It's been a while since I had to sit in a seminar room like this.'
The last time had been more than a year ago, when he first arrived at LUCID. Back then everything had been new and confusing. Endless orientations, briefings and safety protocols. The lectures about the Nightmare Realm had practically filled his early few days.
At the time he had been half convinced he would fall asleep in one of those rooms.
Now here he was again, in a larger seminar hall inside the LUCID base.
It was arranged like a small amphitheater. Rows of elevated seating curved around the room in neat tiers, each row slightly higher than the one in front of it so everyone had a clear view of the massive holo screens at the front.
Jaune sat near the middle of one of the tiers and Pyrrha sat beside him.
She was taking the lecture far more seriously than he was considering her posture and focused eyes.
Around them sat more than twenty other people.
All Rank 1s.
Most of the faces were familiar.
Some had fought in the tournament just a few days earlier. Rajah, Sun Wukong, Neptune, Auberyn and even Coppal was there, not to mention Emerald and her partner, Mercury.
This group, all of them together in one room, formed a large part of the expeditionary force preparing to enter the Shadow Realm.
At the front of the hall two instructors stood beside the glowing holo screens.
Neither of them were awakened but they were part of LUCID's research staff.
One of them gestured toward the display as several images rotated slowly across the screen. Strange black landscapes flickered into view.
"Different regions of the Shadow Realm display dramatically different environmental characteristics," the instructor explained calmly.
Another image replaced the first.
Jaune rested his chin against his hand and watched the screen. The lecture continued as the two researchers calmly explained what little humanity currently understood about the Shadow Realm.
What to expect and what to avoid. And most importantly, what kind of creatures might be waiting for them there.
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AN: Advanced chapters are available on patreon