The living room of Jaune's house had somehow become quieter than a library. Which was impressive considering Nora Valkyrie was present.
Pyrrha sat on one side of the circular arrangement of couches and chairs with a warm mug resting between her hands while everyone else stared at her with the kind of intense concentration usually reserved for bomb defusal or final exam answers.
Except for Nora... who was somehow upside down over the backrest of the couch like gravity had simply become optional for her specifically.
Pyrrha sighed softly.
Then took a slow sip from her drink before lowering it again.
"Do we truly have to do this right now?" she asked tiredly. "Jaune isn't even here. Perhaps we should wait for him first?"
Ruby immediately shook her head.
"Hey, it's not like we wanted to start without him," she said. "But he isn't answering any of our calls or messages."
Pyrrha paused slightly at that. A small troubled look crossed her face before she hid it behind another sip of her drink.
Ruby noticed instantly and straightened. "Pyrrha," she asked carefully, "what happened?"
The concern in her voice made the room grow even quieter.
"When all of you came out of the pod.... well, when Jaune came out of the pod," Ruby continued, "He said he needed rest and that he'd talk to us another time. He looked really tired and stressed, so we didn't push him or anything but…"
Her expression tightened slightly.
"This is his house and he's not here... resting."
Yang nodded from beside her.
"We heard Sleepless was involved too," she added. "And apparently multiple Rank 3s fought?"
"And there were casualties," Weiss said quietly.
Pyrrha's fingers tightened slightly around her mug.
"It's…" she began before exhaling slowly. "It's difficult to explain."
Immediately, Nora vanished from her upside down position like a pink blur. A second later, she appeared behind Pyrrha and began vigorously massaging her shoulders.
"Then we shall emotionally support you until the explanation happens!" Nora declared.
Pyrrha nearly spilled her drink.
"Nora!"
"Come on," Yang said. "You can't just drop mysterious expedition apocalypse vibes on us and leave."
Weiss nodded once.
"The reports were heavily redacted," she added. "We followed everything we could, but most of the important details were missing."
Blake finally looked up from her unopened book.
"There were rumors too," she said quietly. "About the Dream Realm around Mistral changing permanently. And something about how the expedition members got dragged over there for some reason."
Pyrrha stared at all of them for a moment and then sighed again. The sigh of someone realizing escape was impossible.
"…Alright," she admitted. "I'll start from the beginning."
The room immediately became attentive. Even Nora stopped squeezing Pyrrha's shoulders with the enthusiasm of an industrial machine.
Pyrrha gathered her thoughts carefully before beginning. She explained the expedition's arrival into the Shadow Realm first.
The strange black landscapes. The feeling of entering a world that fundamentally did not operate correctly and the presence of the Black Sun.
The Stalkers.
At first, everyone listened with fascination mixed with unease, but as Pyrrha continued describing the creatures in more detail, the atmosphere gradually shifted.
Ruby looked horrified when Pyrrha explained Umbra. Yang muttered several colorful things under her breath when Pyrrha described the Asura Stalkers.
Weiss repeatedly interrupted to clarify specific details regarding the biomes and environmental anomalies.
Pyrrha continued speaking. She explained Jaune's strange interactions with the Stalkers and how his rune functioned differently around them.
The evolving communication, the Formless Stalker, the strange hierarchy among the creatures. When she began describing the different biomes of the Shadow Realm, even Nora quieted completely.
Especially during the explanation of the volcanic lava region.
Then came Velik.
Pyrrha carefully explained the situation involving his fragmented self, the Formless Stalker and the implications surrounding Sleepless' plan.
The room fell progressively more silent with every sentence.
Ren's expression remained composed, though his eyes narrowed thoughtfully several times throughout the explanation.
Yang eventually leaned back against the couch.
"Okay," she muttered. "So basically your expedition accidentally walked into a cosmic horror conspiracy."
"…That is one way to summarize it," Pyrrha admitted.
Ruby looked deeply invested now.
"Wait wait wait," she interrupted. "So Velik basically outplayed everyone?"
Pyrrha hesitated.
"…Yes."
"That's terrifying."
"It truly is."
Pyrrha then moved into the next portion of the story. The volcano biome and Sleepless' arrival as well as the Rank 3 clash between the Formless Stalker and the mysterious Rank 3 of Sleepless.
When she described the initial collision between domains and the overwhelming pressure that had nearly killed everyone instantly, the room visibly tensed.
Then Pyrrha spoke Lionheart's name.
The reaction was immediate.
"What?" Ruby blurted.
"Lionheart? You mean the Rank 3 of Mistral city, Lionheart?" Weiss asked sharply.
Pyrrha nodded slowly.
"He was the Rank 3 assisting Sleepless. LUCID will probably release news of him being a traitor by tomorrow, at the very latest."
Silence followed that revelation.
The kind that settled over people when trust shattered. Then Pyrrha moved further into the story.
Adam and Grise, their battle with the expedition members, Pyrrha and Jaune.
The moment she mentioned Adam's name, Blake abruptly looked up.
"Wait."
Everyone turned toward her. Blake's expression had changed completely.
"Repeat that," she said.
Pyrrha blinked in confusion.
"The part about Adam."
Pyrrha frowned slightly.
"The man Jaune and I fought?"
"What was his full name?"
Pyrrha hesitated.
"I… don't know," she admitted. "Jaune only called him Adam. Apparently he knew him somehow through Grise."
Blake stared at her intensely.
"What did he look like?"
Now even Pyrrha grew more serious. "He had red hair and blue eyes."
Blake's face paled and everyone noticed instantly.
Yang sat forward.
"Blake?"
Blake barely seemed to hear her. "What rune powers did he have?" she asked quietly.
Pyrrha's expression tightened.
"Besides imbued runes, I think his soul runes were red kinetic energy attacks, and he also possessed some form of portal space creation ability."
Blake cursed softly under her breath. Then stood abruptly from her seat. Her hand pressed against her forehead as though trying to steady herself.
Weiss frowned deeply.
"You know him?"
Blake nodded once.
Very slowly.
"If…" she began before stopping briefly. "If that was really him…"
Her voice lowered.
"Then I was wrong and... he isn't dead."
The room froze.
Ruby blinked.
"What?"
Blake inhaled slowly. "You all remember how I transferred from Menagerie at the beginning of high school, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"One of the reasons I transferred," Blake continued quietly, "was because my mentor died."
Pyrrha watched her carefully now.
"At least…" Blake swallowed slightly. "That's what I believed."
The room remained deathly silent.
"His name," Blake said softly, "was Adam Taurus."
Ruby's eyes widened and even Weiss looked stunned.
Yang cupped her chin in thought. "But that doesn't make sense, you said he died? Are you sure you got it right?"
Blake laughed hollowly.
"I saw his body. I don't think it gets any more right than that"
That made the silence afterward somehow worse. Blake lowered her hand slowly from her forehead.
"But apparently, I was wrong. He's alive and... he's part of Sleepless now." She spat out, darkly. "Which means... he either faked his death somehow, or that isn't the man that I knew."
Pyrrha's expression softened slightly.
"Perhaps Jaune knows more," she offered carefully. "It may be best to ask him once he returns."
Blake shook her head immediately. "I... don't think I can just wait for something like this. Sorry Pyrrha, I'd love to hear more but..." she trailed off.
"No worries Blake. Where are you going to go?"
"I'm going to check the LUCID training sims."
She started toward the door, but before she could reach it, the front entrance suddenly opened.
Everyone turned sharply, and a familiar man stepped inside.
Qrow Branwen.
He glanced around the room once before scratching lightly at the back of his neck.
"…Sorry," he said casually. "Door was unlocked."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"And I couldn't help overhearing the conversation."
Qrow looked towards Blake.
"You... might have some trouble finding Jaune over at training rooms. He isn't there at right now."
The room remained frozen for exactly two seconds after Qrow's statement.
Then Yang narrowed her eyes.
"…Okay, before we get to the cryptic uncle business," she said slowly, "what are you even doing here?"
Qrow looked entirely unbothered by the sudden attention.
"I'm here to grab my booze back."
Yang's eyes widened and without warning, she immediately tried to bolt toward the kitchen. Unfortunately for her, Qrow moved first. A hand clamped down firmly onto her shoulder before she made it more than two steps.
Yang froze mid-escape.
Qrow stared at her with the exhausted expression of a man who had seen this exact maneuver approximately multiple times before.
Yang laughed nervously.
"Ehehe."
"Where'd you hide it," Qrow asked flatly, "oh dearest niece of mine?"
Yang opened her mouth to answer but before she could say anything, Qrow casually bonked the top of her head with his fist.
"OW!"
Yang immediately crouched, clutching her head dramatically. "Violence! Elder abuse! Family betrayal!"
"You're twenty times stronger than normal people," Qrow replied dryly. "You'll live."
He walked past her and into the kitchen while Yang continued muttering grievances from the floor. A few seconds later, the fridge door opened. Qrow reached inside and pulled out the bottle without even searching.
Yang pointed at him accusingly from the living room.
"Hey! Why'd you ask me where it was if you already knew?!"
Qrow smirked faintly.
"Revenge."
"That's evil!"
"That's parenting."
"You're not my parent!"
"Thank the gods for that."
Ruby snorted loudly while Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.
"This family dynamic is deeply concerning," Weiss muttered.
Then, to everyone's confusion, he opened one of the cabinets and pulled out several glasses before setting them on the counter.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The sound echoed lightly through the quiet house.
Qrow poured alcohol into each glass before walking back into the living room and handing them out one by one.
Even Oscar looked mildly confused, accepting one. Nora stared into her glass suspiciously.
"Is this a secret adult ritual?"
"Something like that. This is... more so coping," Qrow answered.
Pyrrha blinked. "Are you really supposed to be handing us drinks?"
Qrow handed her the glass anyway.
"You're a part of LUCID. It's not illegal. And besides, after what im about to say?" he said. "You might need it."
Nobody laughed. The humor from earlier faded strangely fast as the atmosphere shifted again. Qrow rubbed at his hair tiredly before leaning back against a wall.
"Drink up," he said quietly. "Seriously, this isn't a social visit."
Something in his tone made everyone straighten slightly. The room suddenly felt heavier and even Blake slowly sat back down instead of leaving.
Qrow took a long swig directly from the bottle itself before exhaling through his nose. Then he looked around the room.
"I've got some news for you kids," he said. "About your precious friend."
A bad feeling settled into the room like cold rainwater. Qrow stared at the amber liquid inside his bottle for a moment before speaking again.
"Jaune Arc," he said calmly, "has left LUCID."
.
.
AN: This is the end of Volume 4.
I'm going to be away for a couple of days so no chapters until probably Monday or Tuesday. Afterwards, chapters will resume.
The next volume will be the final volume which will wrap everything up. Every question, every mystery, and every plot point.