《The Polyglot's Rune》


 Prologue and Chapter 1

    Prologue: Kaiden


    ¡®This can¡¯t be happening! I¡¯m too young to die. I don¡¯t want to¡­I have accomplished nothing¡­absolutely nothing.¡¯


    My consciousness faded in and out, yet I still saw flashing lights and rushing figures. None of them could save me, and I knew that I would not make it. Blood silently flowed from my body, covering my skin and matting my brown hair. Helpless, I thought about my life¡­


    I was born into a small household, and I had two loving parents. They spoiled me as much as they could, even if it meant sacrificing their own wants. I myself had no desires, except for one¡ªI wished for a brother or a sister. I never got one¡­.


    Maybe it was because my father always took me to the park to play ball with him or that I always did woodcarving with my mother, I never felt alone and I matured faster than others my age, but¡­


    I always wondered¡­


    Was it a blessing or a curse?


    When I entered school, I found my fellow classmates trivial and dull, so I stayed away from them. Before I knew it, I became ¡°that kid¡±¨Cthe laughing stock, the bullied, the antisocial failure. As a result, I hid my emotions, never opening my heart to anyone but my family.


    My parents were the center of my life, so I decided to live for them. Everyday I studied just to make them proud. However, no matter how hard I tried, I was merely average¡­.


    I felt a giant guillotine hang above my head. My parents said they were happy, but I was not. I told myself that I could do better¡ªI had to, I needed to.


    My family was poor, so I made my own decision to one day go to college and get a good job. To do it, I needed a scholarship, but with my grades, it was just a wild dream.


    Who knew that I would die before I even had the chance?


    I wanted to be successful¡­


    I wanted to one day meet the love of my life¡­


    I wanted to raise kids¡­


    I WANTED¡­to make my parents proud¡­


    But I, Kaiden, never had the chance.


    Here I am--dying at the age of 17 but don¡¯t remember why.


    No, I didn¡¯t want to...I couldn¡¯t...


    Stop it...


    Flashing lights¡­rushing figures¡­pools of blood¡­


    I only wanted to have a family and make my parents proud. Was that too much to ask?


    The sirens halted, the sounds stopped, the world turned black.


    A voice reached my ears and tugged at my heart, or was it my soul? I had never felt such a sensation, and it flooded into my body like a great ocean. Everything¡ªthe lights, the shadows, the blood¡ªit all became clear but also a muddy haze. It was like waking up from a dream only to find oneself in another.


    ¡°Brave being, do you wish to accomplish a great deed in your life? If so, then say yes! Glory will be yours!¡± Each word boomed, carrying with it a glimmer of hope. I saw light, but beneath it all there was something else¡ªa darkness. The voice, it was evil.


    Smiling, I mustered the strength to make my final choice.


    To die chivalrous, that would make my parents proud.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, drifting once more to the memories of my childhood...


    But still my body vanished.


    <hr>


    Chapter 1: Soul Rune


    Candles lined the interior of the stone room, and their flickering light gave definition to a set of intricate lines that pulsed with an orange glow.


    My flowing blood seeped into the crevices, causing the lines to wiggle. I reached out with my right hand and touched one. My finger smeared the blood, smoldering the orange light, but the line reformed brighter and stronger than before. Its enchantment captured what little thoughts I had left, and I drifted to the past¡ªbut I couldn¡¯t remember. I didn¡¯t want to.


    I jerked back my hand as a soft, delicate warmth pervaded my body. It inched through me, and when it reached my diaphragm, I felt a vibration that originated from my stomach yet not my stomach. Maybe it was my soul.


    Warmth exploded forth. The cuts in my arms closed and the wound in my side healed. My pulse strengthened; the dizziness faded.


    I placed my palms against the stone floor¡ªthe blood was sticky¡ªI pushed up.


    ¡°You healed him? Waste of time. We¡¯re going to kill him with the others,¡± an old voice rang. Its sound made my heart clench and tremble. I gasped for air and turned my head, ignoring the throbbing pain.


    ¡°Sorry, habit,¡± answered a cloaked man. He sat to the right, and his voice was far younger than the old man¡¯s. It even contained a tinge of embarrassment.


    A savage clench.


    I gripped my throat and coughed, but the two were apathetic. Their foreign words continued to bash at my heart and resound within my head, yet the pain began to fade.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Bring him to the others.¡± The old man waved his hand.


    ¡°Should I give him a translation rune?¡±


    ¡°Let the guards deal with it.¡±


    The throbbing stopped, and after one more cough I released my throat. My mind cleared, pain replaced by a blissful tingle.


    Their words, I wanted to hear more. It was like music dancing through my body, each note pulling at my emotions and washing away my pain. On the surface the melody had no meaning, but it was so deep that it possessed a universal will¡ªa will that could be understood.


    Hearing unknown words yet understanding, it was utterly addicting.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± the old man snapped. ¡°The sun will rise in an hour, and stay vigilant. They might have discovered our plans.¡±


    With a nod the figure on the right stood up and approached me. A meter away he stopped, bowed, and pointed towards a wooden door. He extended his other hand, palm face up.


    I took it, and he hauled me up and led me to the door.


    As we stepped through, the old man issued another command. It wasn¡¯t to us, but to whom, I didn¡¯t know. There was no one else in the room.


    ¡°Clean up this filthy blood and send in Princess Emelyn.¡±


    Then the door shut, leaving us in a dim hallway. Our shoes clacked against the stone floor as we walked to the other end where another door rested.


    The cloaked man brushed back his sleeve, lifted up his hand, and waved his finger. A glowing trail was left behind in its wake and eventually formed some ancient rune within the air. The white strokes seemed to wiggle to life.


    My head buzzed. The rune meant ¡°hall¡± but not quite. There was something different about it.


    The symbol flashed and the wooden door creaked open, its hinges buckling under its weight. Behind the door stood two guards, attentive and stoic, but something was off.


    My stomach churned and I thought I saw shadows swirl around the thinner guard. As I blinked a single time, my mind grew fuzzy then clear.


    I sensed a spark of admiration in the guards¡¯ eyes¡ªwhatever that meant¡ªand it was directed at the cloaked man. They nodded to him, and the man silently pushed me forward before leaving.


    ¡°Sir, come this way,¡± said the burly guard, but I sensed arrogance within his voice. Or was I biased?


    He continued, ¡°We will bring you to the other chosen. May I ask for this honorable one¡¯s name?¡±


    I remained silent.


    After a decent pause the other guard, whose voice was dignified yet amiable, said, ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t have a translation rune. Either they forgot, ran out, or they¡¯ve grown lazy.¡±


    ¡°So the little dirtbag can¡¯t understand me. Good. I¡¯m sick of acting nice to all these annoying parasites.¡± The burly guard smiled. ¡°Go die in a hole.¡±


    ¡°We still need to give him one,¡± the other sighed. ¡°Follow the Oracle. And we need to check his soul rune.¡±


    ¡°Who cares! He¡¯s going to die anyway. Let¡¯s just throw him in with the other idiots. The quicker, the better.¡± The burly guard puffed his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give him mine.¡±


    ¡°Quick, take him away!¡± The burly guard waved his hand at me, hiding no disgust despite his fake smile. ¡°His blue eyes are driving me nuts. Later I¡¯m going to gouge them out and feed them to the wolves.¡±


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll forgo checking his soul rune.¡± The other guard shrugged. ¡°But you¡¯re paying for my translation rune.¡±


    The thinner guard reached into his bag and pulled out a small black stone. It had the word ¡°translation¡± etched into its surface and at its center was a pebble-sized drop of purple liquid. The color swirled; I felt myself being drawn closer.


    The guard placed his thumb over the center, and the droplet vanished. A small depression was left in its place, and the guard grabbed my hand and wiped some blood onto it. The liquid coalesced into the cavity, filling it with a deep red, but the color faded. It paled to a light red, then a faint pink. Soon, it was white. Pure blinding white.


    ¡°Ha! White core!¡± said the burly guard, mocking me. The language of his voice sounded normal...did the stone cause it?


    The thinner guard flashed him a glare, and he took the hint. With a few nods the burly guard added, ¡°That¡¯s great. One day, you¡¯ll be a hero. Good luck.¡± He chuckled at his own words.


    ¡°Follow me, good sir,¡± said the other guard as he ushered me to another door. He dropped the stone into my hand. ¡°That¡¯s a type of stone rune called a translation rune. It translates other people¡¯s words into a language that you can understand but not the other way around. It¡¯s of the lowest grade but still costs quite a bit...¡±


    Behind the door was a room with a lush red carpet, a table, and three chairs. The stone walls were empty, but there was a crackling fireplace in the corner. A single broom leaned against its mantel.


    ¡°...common, uncommon, rare, epic,...¡±


    We walked through the room to another door and another hallway. It was the same as the previous: a long hall with four doors. Our steps even echoed in the same manner as before.


    Eventually the guard slipped into a monotone.


    ¡°...After the six grades are the four rune types. They are stone, enchantment, magic, and soul. A stone rune is a rune on a stone¡­¡±


    I nodded to the guard, and he continued his explanation. He must have explained it a million times before, and his students must have hated him. Or maybe he hated them:


    ¡°...An enchantment rune is an item with an enchantment rune, and a bunch of enchantment runes make a formation, but a few enchantment runes could still be an enchantment rune¡­¡±


    He droned on, and we entered the next room. It had the same furniture as the previous, and we used it as a hallway. Time slowly passed; I found it harder to understand the man¡¯s words.


    ¡°...The soul rune is the most important rune and everyone has one. It¡¯s your very essence given to you by Nature. When you stepped onto this plane, it should have awakened¡­¡±


    Another boring hallway, and I lost my patience. My thoughts wandered.


    ¡®Runes seem like magic, but instead of chants and potions they use ancient script. But what would my soul rune say? Would it be a small description emphasizing how little I matter?¡¯


    And here we were again:


    A lush red carpet, a table, three chairs, a fireplace, a broom¡­ It was all the same. Only the placement was different. A long dark hall. Same.


    There was something evil about this place. It could be lurking behind the walls, ready to jump out and eat me at any moment. Or maybe it was the furniture and that red lush carpet. They said that they were going to kill us, whoever ¡°us¡± were, and I didn¡¯t doubt it.


    But this was my question: ¡®Should I just die or should I run?¡¯


    ¡°...and so you are here, a chosen to help save this kingdom from evil. Your soul rune is as powerful as the blue bloods. Make good use of it.¡±


    The guard stopped in front of another door, but this time, he didn¡¯t open it. He lifted his left index finger and drew a white rune into the air. A common magic rune.


    The door swung open, revealing a large room with about three dozen people under the age of twenty-five.


    ¡°These are your fellow chosen,¡± the guard said. ¡°Feel free to mingle and after half an hour someone will come and explain things.¡±


    Another explanation?


    Nodding, I replied, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The guard froze, and I felt his eyes flash with surprise. The world was screwing with my brain; eyes don¡¯t flash with surprise. ¡®Or do they?¡¯


    ¡®Wait...¡¯


    My heart stopped.


    The guard smiled. It was faint, but he did smile, and a sly one at that.


    ¡®What language did I just speak?¡¯

 Chapter 2: My Will

    The guard feigned ignorance and left without another word. The door clicked shut, and I felt a strange foreboding pierce through my spine.


    He should have killed me, but he didn¡¯t. They had given us translation runes, but why? How did that help them?


    I shook my head¡ªno point in pondering. ¡®I just need a plan.¡¯


    I looked toward the people who the guard had called ¡°chosen.¡± They each wore different styles, and the colors came together to make the dull room look quite gaudy. One lady wore a hat that featured a tower of pillows. She matched my gaze then snorted.


    Another, a little girl around the age of ten, looked at me in horror then quickly hid behind a boy by her side. He gazed at my clothes and his brow wrinkled.


    I looked at my clothing or what was left of it.


    ¡®Is this all my blood? Do humans have that much?¡¯


    I began to feel faint, so I lifted my hand to rub my temple. Grime.


    ¡®It must be from...no...not that. I don¡¯t remember...I don¡¯t want to-


    ¡®I must have fallen asleep on the pavement...by a pile of trash. That was it.¡¯


    Laughter rang. It came from the right side of the room. There the most flamboyant of chosen held either handkerchiefs, fans, or sleeves over their mouths. Arrogance glinted within their eyes, matching the shimmering of their jewelry.


    But the left side was different. They snorted, nothing less and nothing more. No diamonds flashed around them, and they wore no flowing clothes. Streamlined and efficient¡ªjust like their muscles. Standing tall, a young man who was a bit older than me used his thumb to push up on the hilt of his sword. The base of the blade came unsheathed, and he narrowed his eyes at me.


    I frowned.


    ¡®Was that a challenge or a threat?¡¯


    I turned my head away, and it was the people in the middle of the room who seemed most pitiable. Neither strong nor rich, all devoid of pride and confidence. I belonged there, but I saw it in their eyes...


    Mocking humor. They too looked down upon me.


    I sighed. There was something about me that never failed to irk people.


    I froze; a figure caught me from the corner of my eye. Something about him attracted my attention, and he leaned against the far wall. His hood covered his face in shadows, but the black robe was missing its sleeves. His arms, which were pale white and rather delicate for a boy, were crossed in front of his body. A vain attempt to appear tougher, as his nervous shifting betrayed his cool demeanor.


    I felt his gaze, and due to his odd nervousness, I approached him. His body jolted upright; his eyes, a strange flash beneath his hood, diverted to the side. The closer I walked, the further he inched and the more he pulled at his own skin. Soon, I was next to him.


    ¡°Scram,¡± he mustered in a cold voice, but I disregarded it and looked him up and down.


    Five and a half feet tall, neither bony nor muscular, somewhat delicate...his build was like mine, but I was a couple inches taller.


    ¡®But what¡¯s with his hood?¡¯ I thought. Except for the light of his eyes, I couldn¡¯t see his face at all. It was a blur.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Kaiden,¡± I said.


    The boy grabbed my collar and pulled my face close to his. His fist twisted my shirt, and I thought I heard a small sound of disgust escape his lips.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kaiden.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± His grip tightened, causing my collar to dig into my neck. ¡°Who are you?


    Why was I always pushed around?


    I replied, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me.¡± He pulled me closer, and I smelled a faint fragrance on his body. ¡°Who sent you, and how did you find me?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s so paranoid...¡¯


    I shrugged. ¡°Love sent me, and your glorious perfume dancing in the wind called out to me to ask for my hand in marriage.¡± A poor joke. A very poor joke, and I must have sounded like an idiot.


    The boy gasped, and whatever was left of his nervous shifting vanished. His arms trembled: I felt his rage and a deep murderous heart. He released my collar then gave me a hard shove. I stumbled, and he turned his back to me. He walked away, muttering something beneath his breath.


    I hit the ground, and the chosen laughed. Their voices were loud and clear without shame. I was a spectacle to them in the same way I was a spectacle to my classmates. And that kid with the crooked nose; oh, how he hated me¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°Hey, you little dirtface! Why don¡¯t you-¡±


    No. Not those memories. They¡¯d lead to others...


    ¡°Kaiden, you should have-¡±


    <hr>


    My chest ached, heart constricting. Where was my denial and courage when I needed it? I would never see my parents again or live the life I wanted. It was already over.


    ¡®Death is all that awaits me; why remember my failings?¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to...


    I lifted my hand to my eye¡ªto check for tears. None, and my face hadn¡¯t moved. I still wore that indifferent expression, the mask that nothing was wrong. Calm and collected.


    But the chosen were laughing. An instant had passed for them but an eternity for me.


    ''That''s right¡­I have a second chance. I¡¯ll live my life, and those who cannot see my worth are nothing more than insects beneath my feet.¡¯


    I smiled. The chosen were disgusting with their smug smiles and discriminatory groupings. Their childish sneers made me want to puke, and they weren¡¯t worth my time.


    I turned around and chased after the paranoid boy. He was either lost in thought or ignoring me, but either way I grabbed onto the collar of his robe. He gasped and I pulled him close the same way he had done so to me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be dead by sunrise,¡± the words left my lips, and I felt a heavy burden leave my chest. Had it always been there?


    The boy swatted my hand then adjusted his black robe. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you tattled?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be dead by sunrise,¡± I said again but with more articulation.


    ¡°I heard you the first time.¡± He pulled away. ¡°Are you here to help? Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°We need to escape. They¡¯ll kill us. I¡¯ve already been to death¡¯s door, and I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    His foot tapped against the floor. ¡°You have a plan?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    His arms crossed. ¡°Can you cast magic runes?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡®So he knew something about runes...¡¯


    ¡°Do you have any stone runes?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Just a translation rune.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I replied.


    The boy gave a loud sigh and made to leave. A false pretence. There was nothing about it that hid his poorly schemed ploy. It made him look childish, but something about the action made him likeable.


    ¡°My soul rune,¡± I said with a light smile.


    His head whipped around, and he asked in a smug voice, ¡°Oh. Is it combat based?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then what? I¡¯ll make use of it.¡±


    ¡®He isn¡¯t going to like this,¡¯ I thought. And, I could be wrong...


    ¡°Translation,¡± I told him.


    He gasped then slowly looked me up and down. ¡°You¡¯re useless!¡±


    What was he expecting? He didn¡¯t even know the whole story...I was uncoordinated, failed every test, and lost every game whether they be based on strategy or luck. My lack of talents should¡¯ve been a unique skill.


    My self-esteem plummeted to an all time low, but I remained prideful. I snorted at him and returned an insult¡ªsomething I had never done.


    ¡°What about you? I don¡¯t see you doing anything useful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really good with runes,¡± he said, and to my grief he boasted. ¡°I¡¯m well educated and can speak three languages. I know proper court etiquette and others praise me for my grace. Everyone envies my skills in poetry, dance, and song. My footwork is extraordinary.¡±


    I resisted the urge to make a sarcastic comment about modesty. ¡°So what about your soul rune?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Everyone loves me. No man can resist my charm: be it friend or foe, male or female.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My eyes widened; his egotism knew no bounds. It far outstripped his paranoia.


    The egotist placed his hands on his hips. I could almost feel his pride radiating off his body.


    ¡°Think about it. If no one sent you, why would you come talk to me? Aren¡¯t I your favorite person in this whole room?¡±


    He was ridiculous, but it seemed true. Was that why I thought I needed him? Why he had caught my eye despite standing by the far wall? He had yanked at my collar and insulted me, but I felt no hatred towards him.


    ¡°You¡¯re obnoxious,¡± I spat, angry at myself for failing to dislike him.


    ¡®My mind is mine,¡¯ I thought, but soon mixed feelings surfaced on my heart. Shame. Relief. Disgust. Exhilaration.


    ¡®How could I say that he¡¯s obnoxious when I don¡¯t believe it?¡¯


    Others had deserved it more.


    ¡°What?¡± the egotist gasped. His body shook, nearly collapsing to the floor in dramatic splendor.


    I extended my hand to help but then pulled it back just as quickly.


    ¡®He¡¯ll be endlessly adored because of his soul rune,¡¯ I told myself. This egotist needed to be knocked down from time to time.


    I smiled, and it became all too transparent that there was something wrong.


    This wasn¡¯t me¡ªor was it? Everything had become jumbled: ¡®who am I?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re obnoxious,¡± I repeated. Happily.


    I watched as the words did a final strike. The egotist tumbled to the floor. He landed with a loud thud, and then he gripped his stomach.


    My eyes widened. At first he chuckled, but then he laughed like a raging lunatic.


    No, his laughter wasn¡¯t harsh or malicious. It was oddly serene, and each breath carried a deadly charm. A siren¡¯s song.


    The room fell dazed. All the chosen stood still with blank expressions, but their eyes were filled with longing. Of what, I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Kaiden,¡± said the egotist. He was still sitting on the floor, but now he was gazing at me. Our eyes must have met, as he then said, ¡°I like you.¡±


    My heart skipped a beat then began to thump wildly within my chest. I mustered the will to resist, but then a thought crossed my mind. I had imagined his smile.


    A shiver shot down my spine, but with it his powers vanished.


    ¡®This guy¡¯s dangerous...and weird.¡¯


    The egotist stood up, unaware of my thoughts. He brushed off his robe as though nothing had happened.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ll be dazed for a while longer.¡±


    He grabbed my arm as he would a teddy bear--arms wrapped around it. He pulled me forward to the wooden door on the other side of the room. Only now did I realize that there was no one guarding it.


    The egotist lifted his hand, and the tip of his finger glew with a faint light. He traced it through the air and drew a white rune. ¡°Fifty-fourth Room¡± it had read before it vanished.


    The door swung open, and the boy pulled me inside. Looking behind us, he stuck his head through the doorway. Upon seeing the chosen still dazed, he slammed the door shut.


    I looked around the new room. Grime was nowhere to be seen, and paintings hung freely and orderly against spotless stone walls. Even a lush blue carpet covered the floor. There was a matching chair, too. And a cluttered table.


    ¡®So the runes control the doors¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hey,¡± the egotist called for my attention. He hustled to a small wooden bookcase then crouched by its side. He pushed against it and it moved, revealing a small passageway. Stale air rushed into the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand there like an idiot.¡± He waved his hand at me. ¡°Hurry up and go in first.¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°If you could control the doors, why¡¯d you go to where they gathered the chosen? Are you really trying to escape? And why would they wait till sunrise to kill us? Was there even a purpose to summoning us?¡±


    I stuck my hand into my pocket and pulled out the translation rune. ¡°Why did they give these to us?¡±


    The egotist lowered his head. I kept a watchful eye on him and observed his every action--from the frowning of his brow to the biting of his lip.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said after a long pause. He looked down the small passageway, but he sounded sullen. ¡°It¡¯s what the prophecy said.¡±


    ¡®He knows as much as me¡­¡¯


    The egotist lifted his hand. ¡°Let me see the rune.¡±


    I tossed it to him, but although my aim was off, he still caught it with a quick outreaching of his arm. He turned the rune over in his hand, observing every inch.


    ¡°Nothing seems wrong, but just in case¡­¡± his voice trailed, and he moved his right index finger around the stone in a spiral motion, creating faint lines within the air. The lines soon transformed into chains that hovered just above the rune. After a single breath, the chains shrunk and shattered the stone into small bits.


    I gulped at his display of force: ¡®What would happen if he did that to my finger out of annoyance?¡¯ I pulled my hands closer to my body.


    The egotist didn¡¯t see my actions. He only stared at the broken pieces, and the light of his eyes beneath his hood dimmed. His thoughts seemed to drift to another time.


    Leaving him be, I raised my hand to the wooden door. I closed my eyes.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if this¡¯ll work¡­¡¯


    I tried to image the rune for ¡°Exit.¡± Nothing came to mind, but then I thought ¡°Fifty-fourth Room¡± and a complex symbol appeared in my head. The same happened for ¡°First Kitchen.¡±


    Some time passed as I thought of different words that would lead us out of this place.


    The closest word that came to mind was ¡°Main Entrance.¡± It was tempting, but I doubted anyone would leave the entrance unguarded. It might even bring us to a group of people.


    I wasn¡¯t the smartest, but I also wasn¡¯t that foolish.


    ¡®A back door maybe? Got it! ¡°First Garden.¡±¡¯


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked the egotist.


    I opened my eyes and gave him a sly smile. It wasn¡¯t an exit, but it was close enough.


    I moved my finger to imitate the scribbles of the rune. To my disappointment no light appeared to make a glowing trail.


    ¡°Give up.¡± The egotist shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not some random lines. It¡¯s a complex system of movements based on the callings of the soul and the breath of the earth.¡±


    I scowled at him and tried again. I knew the symbol. I just needed to inscribe it, but they had made it look so effortless.


    ¡°A person with average talent needs ten years to learn how to use magic runes. I myself took three,¡± said the egotist. I was amazed that he could boast at a time like this.


    I nodded to myself, ¡®I was right to call him an egotist.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a white core,¡± the egotist continued. ¡°You can¡¯t cast runes. At best you can use common stone runes. Anything else is out of your reach. But as for me, I can use runes far exceeding my level.¡±


    His words ignited my spirit. I refused to admit that I was talentless in everything. Even if I was, I needed to try my best.


    Clenching my teeth, I focused on the symbol that I wanted to write. In my mind it seemed elusive as if there was something more to its outward appearance. I shut my eyes and forced the rune to become more clear.


    I felt it...the difference.


    Suddenly, an ancient word resounded within my ears. My eyes shot open. Everything was in monochrome, and the world turned silent.


    My finger moved fluidly, leaving a crimson trail within its wake. Every curve and turn looked alive as if it held the breath of the world. I smiled and let the sensation carry me.


    The egotist¡¯s voice broke through the silence. ¡°Impossible,¡± he whispered.


    The rune slowly formed, and as I wrote more, I fell deeper into a trance. Nothing else mattered. Time slowed. An archaic energy pulsed within my body.


    One beat...two beats¡­three beats...


    Everything stopped; I had completed the last loop. The entirety of the rune wriggled alive and squirmed for freedom. It flashed with a bright red vigor then vanished into nothingness.


    The door creaked open¡­


    Color returned to my sight, but soon everything blurred. Exhaustion swamped my body and an iron taste filled my mouth. A sudden, sharp pain throbbed near my upper stomach. I tried gripping it with my hand.


    I couldn¡¯t reach it--it was within my soul.


    My body lurched. I vomited blood. It poured in an endless flow.


    Darkness. I felt myself falling.


    ¡°Kaiden!¡±

 Chapter 3: That Man

    The Polyglot''s Rune¡ªChapter 3: That Man


    Gazing towards the slowly rising sun, a handsome young man stood on top a watchtower.  His pitch-black eyes glinted with an eerie glow, and a wry smile spread across his face.


    He laughed to himself, ¡°You old fools!  At first you thought you could use the prophecy for your own gains, but now that you''ve attracted the attention of the other kingdoms, you will be torn to pieces!¡±


    The notion elated him.  He always wanted to smash them into dust, and now his plans were finally set into motion.  It was he who leaked the details of the prophecy, and none of them had an inkling that it was him.


    As the direct descendant of the Gnudeer family, he possessed a powerful soul rune.  Furthermore, it was the extremely rare oracle rune.  He had nothing to be ashamed of, but his accursed father refused to acknowledge the existence of him and his mother.


    His mother was a mere servant, but she possessed true innocence and purity.  It rivaled that of angels, and her smile could dispel any darkness.  The king noticed her as a shining diamond and took her for his.


    Later, when she was found pregnant, the king tossed her away because the current queen grew too jealous.  Months later, he was born in a back alley and grew up watching his optimistic mother slave away as she foolishly dreamed of the palace.  Everyday, she happily told him stories of his father, the so-called righteous king.


    One day, coiling black clouds covered the night sky.  Lightning streaked down onto the land, roaring in protest as rain poisoned the earth.  Others said that it foreshadowed an approaching calamity, but to the child, it was the day his mother died.  He was cast into despair, but he vowed to the world that he would have his revenge against the king!


    For money, he started using his soul rune for making predictions and telling fortunes.  He never revealed how much power his soul rune possessed, but instead craftily altered and dumbed down everything he had foreseen.  It was all for the sake of this day.


    Within a year he established a name for himself and attracted the attention of a mysterious Runist.  He ran errands and did his biddings, but with his help, the boy learned the way of runes and swiftly gained the attention of the nobles.


    The aristocrats brought him into the upper echelons, but the boy still harbored a deep hatred within his heart.


    With the prodding of the mysterious Runist, he told the Royal Family about a great prophecy revolving around a Divine Rune, one that could forever change the world for better or for worse.


    Thinking back on his cunningness, the young man smiled.  What he had told them only contained shreds of truth mixed with destructive lies.  No one could see through it, and others who possessed oracle runes only added to its validity with their hazy foresights.


    ¡°In the end, I will have that power, and I will rule above these four kingdoms!  My only sorrow is that you''ll all be dead before you can bow to my glory,¡± he laughed to himself.


    He felt a faint tug at his soul.  His face paled.


    ¡°NO!¡± he roared.  The images he foresaw of the future started blurring and warping.  ¡°Who did it?! Why is the future changing?  As long as they listened to my carefully planned instructions, nothing should have changed.  Those old fools!  What did they do?  Or was it that princess?  That accursed Princess Emelyn, I told her specifically to follow my instructions perfectly.¡±


    The young man started pulling at his hair until he calmed down.  Slowly breathing out, he focused his spiritual energy onto his soul rune and started activating it.


    A multitude of images appeared in his mind''s eye, but they were all blurred to the point of complete distortion.  A frown flashed across his dashing face, and he cursed beneath his breath.  There were too many variables.  They made seeing the future impossible; he would need to wait at least a year.


    Refusing to give in, he willed his soul rune to run at its max capacity.  The haze remained, but a commonality among the scenes solidified.  It was the vague outline of a brown haired boy with deep-blue eyes.


    Quickly, the young man urged the images to converge.  They haphazardly compressed and pieced together the shadows of the boy''s outline.  Soon, a solid picture congealed in his mind.


    Before him an unconscious boy spasmed and twisted in agony.  A dark shadow leaned against him, trying to keep him still.  A moment passed, and the boy stopped moving.  His breathing returned to normal.


    The young man could not concentrate his soul rune any longer, and the scene dissipated into a thousand colors.


    ¡°I swear I''ll be the end of you,¡± the man growled.  ¡°Just you wait.¡±


    He grabbed a black stone from within his pocket.  Purple lines pulsated on its surface to form a rune.  Angrily flicking his wrist, he tossed the stone into the air.  The lines expanded five meters outward, obscuring all vision; and with a flash, the man vanished.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°Kaiden,¡±  I heard an enchanting voice whisper into my ear.  Followed by incessant shaking, it woke me from a blissful dream of eating homemade apple pie with my family.  The tang of blood quickly replaced its sweet, savory taste.


    I growled to voice my disdain of the robed figure, but no matter how much I willed, I could not bring myself to feel true disdain.  It sunk me into deeper despair.


    Curse his soul rune.


    ¡°You''re finally awake,¡± he said in an almost inaudible voice.  ¡°Stand up.  We need to get out of here.¡±


    We were in a dark forest, crouched behind some bushes.  It looked like I was dragged here, and my jeans were unbearably tattered.


    I peered upward, spying a beautiful sunrise that contrasted with the gloom of the forest.  It took my breath away and made everything else seem so minuscule.


    ¡°Aaaaahhhh!¡± A frantic scream rang out, causing birds to take to the air.  With fast reflexes, the egotist laid flat against me and ruthlessly held my mouth shut.


    I heard twigs snapping and light whimpers.  It sounded like someone was being chased.


    ¡°Please, no I--¡±  A loud thump abruptly ended the person''s plea.


    ¡°Weak,¡± another man said.  He sounded very close to us.  ¡°Is that all these Gnudeerians have?  Pathetic.¡±


    The egotist pushed down harder.  He tightened his grip over my mouth, and I could feel him slightly tremble.


    The man jumped out from behind a tree and landed heavily in front of us, causing dust and dirt to kick up.  He wore a brown cloak and tattered boots.  His arms were extremely thick, and every movement caused his muscles to ripple.  A faint glow accentuated his bulky body and scarred face.


    ¡°You two are worse,¡± he said with a light snort.  Three stone runes levitated around him, and as he plucked one from the air, it transformed into a large battle-ax.  Blue strands of symbols circled around its handle.  I could barely make out some words describing something about clouds.


    ¡°Crap,¡± the egotist said.  He pushed against me and hurriedly jumped away from the man.  ¡°A rare enchantment ax with the emblem of a wolf...you must be a mercenary from the Appenhund Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You''re pretty sharp,¡± the man laughed.  He tightened his grip on the battle-ax and slid his right foot back.  ¡°Too bad you won''t live long.  The one in the strange blood-covered clothes, I''ll be taking you.¡±


    The egotist instinctively reached to his side, gasping when he realized that he had no bag.  Compromising, he jumped backwards and started to move his finger to cast a magic rune.  His hand danced crazily in the air.


    Seeing his reaction, the man could not help but laugh louder.  ¡°Completely disarmed, and you still dare to try to fight me?  Since I like you, I''ll let you die slowly.¡±


    Pushing off the ground, he leaped over me, bridging the large gap between him and the cloaked figure.  He widely swung his ax.


    The egotist crouched and leaped to the right, dodging the blade.  With his free hand, he spread his palm against a tree while completing the magic rune with his right.  The incantation flashed with the word ¡°Anchor,¡± and its strokes slid onto his right wrist like a bracelet.  On his left, it appeared as a faint tattoo dancing on his milky-pale skin.


    The tattoo fluctuated with what I believed to be magic and caused a thin glow to appear beneath his left palm.  It attached itself against the surface of the tree like a spinning disk.


    The egotist leaped forward and, using his magic as a way to grip the trunk, swung his body in a half circle around the tree.  As he released the magic, he launched a kick at the man.


    The mercenary, true to his many experiences, hid his surprise and reacted quickly.  He shifted his weight and twisted his body at the waist.  His battle-ax, which he originally swung downwards, suddenly arched towards the egotist.


    My body jumped from sheer fright, but when the blade touched the boy''s boot, it did not slice him.  Instead, a light glowing disk appeared, showing that he had used his rune to anchor against the blade.


    Borrowing the force of the man''s swing, the boy released his rune and launched himself towards me.  Before landing, he performed a single graceful backflip.


    The wind blew his hood onto his shoulders.


    I could finally see his face.  He looked much younger than I expected; he had delicate features and soft brows.  His jaw was neither square nor round while his nose sat perfectly on his face.  Accentuating his pale skin, his oddly purple-black hair framed the shape of his jaw, and although it was haphazardly cut, his hair still seemed extremely silky and smooth.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Most striking were his soft eyes.  They were strangely deep-violet in color, and their gaze exuded an enchanting allure that could steal the hearts of any living soul.


    Altogether his looks should have been a sin, but at the same time, I pitied him; there was nothing manly about him.  Short, soft features, milky skin,...he was the most handsome yet androgynous boy I had ever seen.


    It filled me with envy when I thought about my plain looks.  The world did him a great wrong for not letting him be born a woman.  If he was one, then even I, who does not place much importance on looks, would have fallen in love at first sight and been reduced to a heart-struck flirt.


    The feminine boy kept a close eye on the mercenary.  Scrunching his brows, he calculated our chances of survival.  While raising his right hand up, he started casting another rune that seemed different than the anchor rune.


    Acting aloof, the man examined his battle-ax and said, ¡°I''ve never seen that rune be used in that way.  The timing and control was so perfect that my ax couldn''t pierce you.  However, seeing how my weapon is still intact, it''s not an attack rune.


    ¡°Looks like you''ve only got mobility and magic control going for you.¡±  He wryly smiled and licked his lips.  ¡°I wonder how many times you can pull it off before I mangle that gorgeous face of yours.¡±


    The mercenary madly charged at him again, but this time, one of the levitating stones started shining.  The rune for ¡°Dash¡± appeared on its surface, causing the man''s speed to sharply increase.


    The boy barely managed to side-step out of the attacker''s reach, but he still continued to write his magic rune.  Maintaining perfect concentration, he quickened his footsteps to dodge the ax.  Whenever he could not, he took a defensive position and used the tattoo on his left arm to anchor against the blow.


    On the fourth time, the boy lost his balance because he misjudged his surroundings.  His real life battle experience seemed much more inferior than the mercenary''s, but by swinging himself around with his anchor rune, he managed to outclass the bulky man in agility.


    After slipping on a tree root, the egotist swiftly rose his arm, but he could not make up for his stumble and the timing was off.


    The anchor rune protected him, but the blade of the ax still pierced into his forearm and the force behind the blow slammed the boy against a tree.  He hit hard, and his face twisted in pain as he restored his balance and dodged another swing.


    The mercenary chortled at the sight of the boy''s blood.  It seemed to invigorate him and fuel his blood lust.  He started swinging his ax in a mad frenzy.  He missed most of the time, but sometimes he would manage to strike the boy who would then use the anchor rune to defend.


    Amazingly, the egotist was still casting with his right hand.  It had not dispelled even once, and his concentration under pressure was admirable.


    Soon, wounds covered the entirety of the boy''s left arm.  Holding back the pain, he bit his lip and continued to use his free limbs to fling himself around trees and bushes.  He tried so hard, but it became evident that the mercenary was only toying with him.


    I admired the boy''s undaunted courage.  He could have easily escaped, but he did not.  The only reason I could surmise was for me.  He and I both knew that I would be unable to flee and that at the moment I tried, the man would easily chase after me.


    In my eyes, I saw that there was something more to this egotist than I had thought; I felt that he was my first true friend.  I wanted to help him, but what could I do?


    Somehow cast another magic rune?  I''m still suffering from the last one.


    The boy''s speed dropped as he started heavily panting, and the tattoo of his anchor rune faded into nothingness.  Blood dripped from his nearly-mangled arm, smearing his now tattered robe.


    The boy smiled.


    Quickly lifting his right arm up, he flicked his finger.  The rune that he spent so long to carve flashed with a purple light and expanded out in front of him to about a meter in diameter.  The sight of it was completely dazzling, and its majesty caused my heart to beat faster in awe.


    The mercenary abruptly stopped laughing and disbelief shone in his eyes with a tad amount of panic.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± the bulky man gasped.  His scarred face frowned, and he regretted looking down on his opponent.


    ¡°Die!¡± the boy said.  The rune exploded outward into translucent chains.  They spread throughout the area and to my surprise, pierced into each location that the boy had latched onto with the anchor rune.  All of his previous movements were not random; they were carefully planned.


    More than ten chains shot at the mercenary''s ax.  He quickly threw it up as high as he could, diverting all but one chain.  That last chain pierced completely through his thigh, aiming for a tree behind him.


    Up above, the blue rune around the ax tried to protect itself, but under the onslaught it fluctuated and burst into nothingness.  With the disappearance of the rune, the ax itself disintegrated into dust.


    The boy looked extremely pale.  Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, but he smiled in victory.  He humphed and smugly pulled his hood over his head.


    ¡°You haven''t won yet,¡± the man said.  The ¡°Dash¡± rune glowed, and he savagely yanked at his wounded leg.  The chain tore through the rest of his flesh and blood sprayed onto the floor.  He howled in agony, but vast amount of killing intent burst from within him.


    I fearfully scuttled to the egotist''s side.


    ¡°Buck up; he can''t do anything to us with that leg of his,¡± he said.  His short-sighted victory seemed to fuel his ego.


    The third stone that levitated around the man finally glowed.  The inscription ¡°Heal¡± appeared, and my eyes went wide with panic.


    ¡°Run!¡±  I pulled at the boy.  ¡°We need to get away while we still can!¡±


    Another man appeared behind us, blocking our path of escape.  It was the same guard who had given me the translation rune and had smiled when he discovered that he could understand my speech.


    In his right hand, he wielded a steel longsword wrapped in blue runes.  Blood dripped down the blade while giving definition to a savage wolf etched into its side.  The image looked like it wanted to come out and devour me.


    ¡°Looks like you need me,¡± he said to the mercenary while letting out a wry smile.  His sharp canines glinted in the light that pierced through the forest''s darkness.  In the palace I thought him to be calm and amiable, but now he looked like a calculating fiend.


    ¡°Alaric, I don''t need your help,¡± the mercenary said.  The dislike of the man shone in his eyes.  ¡°Let me kill the damn brats.¡±


    Next to me, the violet-haired boy started trembling.  His eyes were filled with disbelief.


    ¡°Alaric the Faceless?!¡±


    The man smiled at the boy and gave a light, joking nod.  Suddenly, his face started to distort as his skin started to stretch and peel.  Cracking sounds rang out as his body moved in freakish ways.


    He grew four inches taller, and his build thinned.  His muscles became more pronounced while his eyes turned red and his hair blackened.  His fingers grew longer and his bones became sharper.


    He looked like a true devil.


    The egotist watched the transformation in shock and horror.  A hint of betrayal lingered painfully in his eyes.  ¡°W-what had you done to Mike?¡±


    ¡°You mean the guard I impersonated?¡± Alaric asked.  ¡°I killed him a long time ago.  Years, in fact.¡±


    The boy trembled from the onslaught of his sudden emotions.  ¡°T-Then my mother?!¡±


    ¡°Your mother?¡±  Alaric paused for a second.  A wicked glint formed in his eyes, and it looked like he was just toying with the boy.  ¡°Oh, so that''s who you are.  I admit it; I might have had a hand in her death, but what can you to do about it?  Lycan, we''re grabbing both of them.¡±


    The mercenary growled in protest and sharply pointed at me with contempt.  ¡°We only need him.  Let me--¡±


    ¡°No!¡±  Alaric said, snapping Lycan''s mouth shut.


    Alaric stepped closer to us, and the egotist uncontrollably trembled.  His mind seemed broken and lost, giving no resistance when Alaric wiped the sword''s blood onto his hood.


    I wanted to punch him, but sensing my intentions, he sent me a deadly glare.  The killing intent pierced into my soul, and I nearly fell onto my knees.  I had never felt so useless before.


    His sword flashed with blue light before changing back into a stone.  He then placed it into a small enchanted bag.  Using his right hand, he started carving out a magic rune.


    All the while, I just stood there, watching the rune slowly come to completion.  A long time passed, but once whole, the ancient words read ¡°Warp: Crane, Appenhund.¡±


    The rune flared with a blue light and towered over me and the egotist.  The power it exuded over us was enormous.


    I looked once more at the boy''s savaged arm and trembling figure.  It filled me with a strong desire to help him.


    He stayed here for me.


    My veins suddenly pulsed with archaic energy and silence permeated my ears.  Through instinct my hand shot out towards the blue rune with lightning speed.  A crimson glow circled my finger and slashed a jagged stroke through a portion of the spell, changing its meaning.


    In a fraction of a second, the rune warped the two of us away.

 Chapter 4: A New Place

    Chapter 4: A New Place


    (A/N: in case anyone is wondering why I repeat the title here even though it''s already on the top, it''s because I like having it here too.)


    Shock overcame Alaric, and his eyes widened.  How did the boy do it? he thought.  He could feel that the warp rune, which cost him almost double the amount of spiritual energy than it should have, did not activate properly.  He doubted that it brought the two children to Crane.


    The red stroke kept playing out in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not understand it.


    A different color represented each grade of rune.  Common was white; green was uncommon; blue was rare; purple was epic; and orange was legendary, but red represented nothing.  He thought about the unique grade, but even then, it filled him with doubts; he quickly dismissed the notion.


    He did not dare to surmise the divine level.  It was a grade of myth, legends, and prophesies¡ªthings he refused to believe in.  A heavy sigh escaped him.


    Lycan, noticing his partner''s distress, found it extremely amusing.  With a scoff, he further voiced his displeasure of Alaric.


    ¡°You didn''t have to take both of them away.  Our job was to wreak havoc at the palace and abduct the ones who replaced the blue bloods.  You should have left the other one for me to play with.¡±


    Alaric sent him a cold glare.  Two children managed to get away, and it infuriated him to the bone.  It threw a wrench at his pride and sullied his perfect streak of successful missions.  ¡°Do you know who he was?!  Are you insane?!  Use your brain for once in a while.¡±


    His partner was stunned at Alaric''s sudden change of temperament, and he could not help but try to defend himself.  ¡°Why the hell would I know who he is?  He used runes and wore a common peddler''s robe.  He''s definitely from this world!¡±


    ¡°Your brain has turned into pig squander.  When I got here, the writing of the rune had already faded, but I could still sense that the chains came from an epic magic rune.  Don''t you know the amount of skill that takes?  You can barely wield that rare ax of yours, and here, a boy much younger than you used an epic rune.¡±


    Alaric guessed the identity of the boy.  There were rumors that the king married his third wife, Lady Amelia, because her family secretly possessed an epic magic rune¡ªsomething that the Gnudeer Royal Family did not own.  He, himself, knew all too well that she really did posses such a rune and one that could cause chains to appear.


    He had no doubt that the cloaked figure was one of her two children.


    Lady Amelia''s second child, a fifteen year old boy, was the youngest of the king''s fourteen children, but because he possessed monstrous latent talent, he rose to the rank of fourth prince.  If not for his older sister and his rash personality, he would be ranked third among his siblings.


    Alaric hated the boy''s existence more than anything else.  With a slight twitch of the lip he cursed him under his breath, disappointed at the loss of capturing the boy.  Adding in the irony that it was the fourth prince who managed to escape him, it infuriated him to the bone.


    Princess Emelyn, Lady Amelia''s first child, possessed outstanding grace, propriety, and beauty.  Her talent was almost as good as her brother, but because of the negative effects of her soul rune and black core, the princess was unfit to become a Runist.  Therefore the king instituted her as ranking third among his children in the hopes of marrying her off to the most powerful man possible and bolstering their family''s bloodline.


    Feeling sour about the princess''s position, Alaric wanted to help her.  To him, she was a star who so closely resembled her mother that no man would ever deserve her.


    Of course, he thought to himself, I shouldn''t squander over the past.  What''s done is done.  Everything has changed because the Gnudeer prophecy spread to the other kingdoms, sects, and guilds.


    Pushing away his thoughts, Alaric said to Lycan, ¡°Talent like that belongs to either geniuses or those blessed with exceptional bloodlines.  That boy is Gnudeer''s Fourth Prince Thomson, and I hope I don''t need to explain to you how much more important the actual blue bloods are, especially one of his caliber, than the summons from the Planar-Replacement Rune!¡±


    Lycan became bitter at his words.  He hated being called an idiot; it was why he despised Alaric so much.  If he could have his way, he would feed him to the wyverns, but even so, his partner had his uses.


    The mercenary said, ¡°What are you so pissed about?  It''s not like I killed him, and since we caught him, we can sell him off to one of the Appenhund royalty.  They''ll make good use of his bloodline.  Too bad he isn''t a girl; we could have received more gold.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great plan,¡± Alaric said with biting sarcasm.  The escape of the prince, who he detested so much for being the king''s son, viciously dug into his nerves.


    That man and that abomination of a child don''t deserve to exist.  True contempt escaped from Alaric''s lips.  ¡°They got away.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±  The mercenary''s eyes went wide, but Alaric with his ever cold expression never joked.


    ¡°The other one did something strange,¡± Alaric said, turning towards the direction of the palace.  The quiet sound of slaughter in the distance soothed his rage and calmed his mind.  He focused at the matter at hand.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he said, ushering Lycan to follow him.  ¡°We need to find as many of the replacements as we can.  It wouldn''t be good if the Aspis Guild swipes them from under us or if the Gnudeerians decide to kill them all.¡±


    The pair headed towards the palace; their footsteps contained an eagerness for war.


    ~~~~~


    The world spun in front of me; I never experienced so much dizziness before in my life.  To brace myself I shut my eyes, but the shifting gravity still tangled with my senses.


    I felt something securely wrap around my body.  The egotist had grabbed me from behind, but as he panicked and tightened his hold, it only added to my grief.  His grip was like an iron clamp squeezing me to death, the initial warmth quickly replaced with suffocation.  I struggled for breath and, franticly grabbing at his arms, tried to loosen his hold.


    My consciousness grew fuzzy...


    Thump!


    I hit the ground¡ªno the egotist¡ªbelow me.  It released his hold and I gasped for air.  Nothing felt more pleasant than the cool, crisp air flowing into my lungs.


    ¡°Get off!¡± he yelled.  The boy placed his delicate hands on my shoulders, and applying force, he savagely pushed me onto the ground.  Still not satisfied, he kicked me in the thigh with strength that far outstripped what should have been possible for his small build.


    I feel like a beanbag.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?!¡± he said with a strange voice.  His pale face was completely flushed red, and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.  Paired with his tattered robe and messed up arm, he looked like an angry vampire.


    Serves him right, I thought as I glanced around.


    Tall grass blocked my view in every direction, but I could vaguely make out something towering above it.  It seemed to be a cow with black fur and white spots, but the animal was huge.  It stood about ten meters tall and had large curling horns.  Its hair was shaggy and somewhat long, but...


    ¡°Don''t ignore me,¡± the egotist interjected with a demanding voice.  He started to cast a rune reading ¡°Mend¡± to restore his arm.  It stopped most of the bleeding, but continuing to wag his finger, he cast the rune a second time.


    After the next activation, his arm returned to a perfect condition, but blood trickled from his mouth.  I assumed he had overdrawn his magic power during the fight with the mercenary.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It must be tough.


    Noticing my gaze, he clenched his jaw and wiped the blood onto his sleeveless robe.  ¡°You are despicable.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who tried to suffocate me,¡± I said.  This was why I disliked people; they always blamed others.  ¡°If you didn''t cling so hard to me, I might not have squished you.¡±


    The egotist''s face became more red¡ªdue to shame I believed.  He pointed his finger at me, but he could not form any words, only meaningless stutters.


    Seeing his helplessness made me feel a bit guilty; he was only a boy a couple years younger than me.  Thinking about everything that transgressed, I figured that he missed his parents, especially his mother.


    Losing a mother at such a young age must be devastating.


    Feeling empathetic, I tried to comfort him.  ¡°Being separated from your parents at such a young age must hurt a lot.  I know how you feel.  The loneliness is so painful that you deny it and refuse to let yourself cry, but sometimes you just need to let out how you feel.¡±


    My eyes became moist; it sounded too much like my current situation, but I had to hold back the tears.  This egotist needed me.


    ¡°If you need to cry, go ahead,¡± I said.  ¡°I won''t make fun of you.  It''s a way of life and kids cry all the time.¡±


    He gave me a strange look filled with haughtiness.  ¡°I''m an adult.¡±


    ¡°Where I''m from, you need to be at least eighteen, not twelve,¡± I said.  He really is a kid.


    Squinting his eyes at me, he sent me a cold stare.  ¡°You think I''m twelve?¡±


    I nodded.


    His eyes widened, and after muttering something under his breath, he straightened his robe and brushed off some grime.


    ¡°My name is Vaughn, and I am a seventeen year old guy,¡± he said before averting his eyes.


    I would have been blind to have believed him, but feeling his uneasiness, I let it slide.  Fourteen years old¡ªI''ll give you that.


    ¡°Hey you two!¡± Someone called out.  I turned my head, and to my surprise, there were three people riding on the giant cow.  Two were men and one was a woman.  As they approached, Vaughn quickly moved behind me, his face paling at the sight of them.  He wanted to run away.


    Gambling, I waved my hand.  ¡°Help us!  My little brother is hurt!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Vaughn whispered into my ear.  ¡°They purposefully warped us here for a reason.  We don''t¡ªno I don''t¡ªspeak their language.¡±


    Didn''t he see me change the location of the rune?  He was right next to me; there''s no way he didn''t notice.


    I grabbed his right hand to prevent him from doing anything foolish.  I tried to put on the most enthusiastic face I could.  ¡°Look Vaughn¡ªpeople!  We''re saved!¡±


    The egotist scoffed at me.


    As the cow moved closer, it lifted up its thick legs which it used to stomp heavily on the ground, shaking the earth.  Upon closer view, its white and black body was covered in pieces of silver armor that glistened in the light.  Tassels hung from its ebony horns, and green runes circled about them.  The cow had a fierceness to it, but its eyes contained a hint of kindness and lethargy.


    Upon its massive head, three people sat.  Each had a bow strung behind their backs, but they had no quiver or arrows.  Instead, a blue stone rune floated next to each of them.


    The middle-aged woman, who had black hair and eyes, grabbed the stone.  It caused Vaughn to start, but she quickly placed it into a bag by her side.  When it opened up, faint green threads wisped from its mouth.


    It must be an enchantment rune in the form of a bag...I wonder if it can hold a ridiculous amount of items.


    The woman jumped down from the giant beast, landing lightly on the floor as her brown cloak swept backwards.  A worried look covered her mother-like face as she ran up to us.  Beneath her cloak a red dress waved gently in the wind, giving definition to her somewhat curvy body.


    She grabbed Vaughn''s wrist, and although he tried to pull away, she maintained an iron grip.  With a watchful eye, she carefully touched his arm with her other hand.  The woman frowned at finding no injury, but after lightly wiping the blood away, she started forming a rune with her index finger.


    Crap, he healed himself...


    ¡°Ma''am, can you help him?¡± I asked in a panicked voice.  Despite her motherly looks, instinct told me that this woman was dangerous; I needed to put up the best possible act.


    Vaughn silently jerked his arm back, causing the light from the rune to disperse.  Letting go of his arm, the woman looked sternly into his violet eyes and raised a brow.


    ¡°What a darling child,¡± she said with a soft smile.


    I could see no sign of malice in her expression, but something about her made me uneasy.


    She pulled Vaughn closer and, spreading her arms wide, abruptly hugged him the best she could.


    Vaughn smirked at me in triumph, but I could tell that the silent woman''s actions scared him half to death.  His legs trembled, and his face paled to a ghostly white.


    Curse his soul rune!  It''s fueling his ego.


    Seeing the pair, the two men sent a quizzical glance at each other before dismounting the cow.  Just as swiftly as the woman, they jogged to where we stood.


    The man on the left was stout with a bit of a belly and had a nicely combed mustache.  He stood a little shorter than the woman, but was by no means unnoticeable.  His face portrayed his simple demeanor, but the way he proudly stuck out his chest and belly from under his brown cloak revealed a somewhat foolhardy nature.


    ¡°Are you two alright?¡± the stout man asked, glancing us up and down.  He shot Vaughn a malicious, jealous glare.


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± I said, trying to feign blissful ignorance.


    ¡°Let me see your injuries,¡± said the other man.  He was a head taller than the woman, but with a monotone voice and apathetic eyes, his solemnity greatly contrasted that of his two partners.  Slapping his enchantment bag, he made a stone rune fly out.


    I curiously looked at his bag.  There was a faint rune circling it, but no matter how much I squinted, I could not read it.  ¡°I''m not hurt anywhere, but there''s so much blood.¡±


    ¡°Awe, look at him,¡± pestered the woman.  A wry smile surfaced on her red lips.  ¡°He must be scared senseless.  Honey, let''s take them back with us.¡±


    The stout man, forgetting his jealousy, looked softly at her and nodded.  ¡°Alright, dear.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she said with a heavy laugh.  Looking at Vaughn, she asked, ¡°What''s your name little Missy?¡±


    Vaughn stepped back in fright.  He incessantly sent me glances for guidance.


    ¡°Where are your parents, sweetie?¡± she said, but her voice turned harsher.  The men ignored her strange antics.


    Sweat slowly dripped down the boy''s forehead.  He was on the brink of breaking down from the woman''s domineering presence.


    I mustered a smile.  ¡°He looks like a girl, but he''s my younger brother.  His name is Vaughn, and he has been mute ever since our mother died.¡±


    There you go; you better not say anything in any language.


    The woman rubbed his head, inciting a deathly glare from Vaughn.  ¡°That''s so sad.  Don''t worry, I, Gena, will take good care of you.  Follow me; I''ll train you to become great fighters of the great Cowzer Sect of the Appenhund Kingdom!


    ¡°Make sure to keep up with the other disciples...or else.¡±  Her soft expression sporadically changed to one of blood lust.  Killing intent rushed out of her body, choking us in its invisible grasp.


    She looked into my eyes; lightning struck at my soul.


    I felt very much like an insect.

 Chapter 5: Little Brother

    Chapter 5: Little Brother


    We rode on the giant cow, which the stout man explained was a type of magical beast.  It possessed a soul rune and was capable of using other runes such as the tassels hanging from its horns.  These tassels were what it used to find us.  Within a mile distance, they could sense anything living that possessed a soul rune.


    On the way to the Cowzer Sect, they explained everything to me, but since Vaughn could not understand what they were saying, he kept jabbing me in the side.  I flinched each time, causing his eyes to glint with smugness.  Out of nowhere, he spat at my face; I do not know what I did to incur his wrath.


    If not for the vague notion that he did not abandon me with the mercenary, I would have shoved him off the cow.


    The middle-aged woman found us comical and adorable.  She said that everyone called her Matriarch Ruby for her ruby-colored core.  After sending a side long glance at me, she told Vaughn to call her Big Sis Gena.  This freaky woman was the second reason why I did not push him off the cow.


    ¡°The Cowzer Sect is divided by rank,¡± said the stout man as he waved his right hand into the air.  He was called Doyen Gin.  ¡°They are based on the universal rankings of rune casters: Apprentice, Novice, Adept, Doyen, and Grandmaster.  Color representation, which matches the rune system, is the same as it is throughout all schools, sects, and countries.  For example, white symbolizes both the common rune and the Apprentice.


    ¡°Within each rank are five levels represented by stars.  I am a 2-star Doyen, and so is Gale,¡± he said and motioned to the other man.


    Matriarch Ruby chimed in; there was an eeriness within her voice.  ¡°Honey, don''t confuse them.  You two MUST address your superiors with their ranks.  It is the sect''s ironclad rule, but Vaughn, you can call me whatever you want.¡±


    She pointed ahead.  ¡°There''s your new home.¡±


    In the distance the Cowzer Sect loomed into view.  It looked like a large town with a magnificent palace at its center.  Five meter tall walls encircled its perimeter, and they appeared to be more for decoration than defense.  Magical beasts and elaborate patterns were etched into its stone surface, depicting a great battle.


    Directly in front of us was a gate six meters wide and six meters tall.  It was embedded with six large rubies in the shape of a circle.  Between the jewels, a majestic emblem of a giant cow with curling horns and powerful muscles stared at all who entered.


    Vaughn gaped at it, and I could feel its red, fiery eyes shaking the recesses of my soul.


    Matriarch Ruby smiled when she saw our reaction.  She moved her hand forward, and patting the magical beast below her, she called out, ¡°OPEN!¡±


    The beast, answering her order, lifted its right foot and slammed it against the ground.  A mild tremor vibrated outwards.


    The emblem''s eyes and six rubies glowed with a bright light.  An oppressive aura spilled out to wrap around us.  A sudden gust of wind formed as the gates swung open.


    The woman dramatically pointed forward.  ¡°March!¡±


    The cow let out a hearty growl while it trotted through the entrance.


    We traveled down the streets, and a group of people were gathered by the side of the road.  They were dressed in all-white robes and huddled in a circle.  I leaned forward to see what they were hollering about, but it was to no avail.


    Feeling the footsteps of our magical beast, the group instantly quieted down.


    Whatever held their attention before was forgotten as they saw Matriarch Ruby.  Their eyes flooded with admiration and worship.  Regaining their composure, they quickly and respectfully bowed, but still, some disciples shyly peeked up at the three riding on the beast''s head.


    Eyes fleeting, they noticed the two of us on the cow''s back.  A few gasped, looking us up and down.  I made eye contact with one of them, and I sensed a deep jealousy.  He flashed me an ugly scowl.


    Vaughn, on the other hand, was loved.  It did not matter if they were man or woman.  All who laid sight on him were stunned by his beauty and tried to steal a closer glance.


    The egotist''s chest puffed up as he expressed his dominance over the robed figures.  He had found them interesting, and a wry smile formed on his lips.  There was a devilish glint in his eyes as he suddenly wrapped his arms around me.


    Instantly, a multitude of malicious glares fell upon me.


    I became the center of hate.  My face paled, and I gulped.


    A scrawny boy, just like myself, crawled out from within the circle of people.  His body was covered in blood and he had a broken nose.  The boy looked around in confusion before quickly scuttling away.


    Sweat beaded my back and I felt the egotist tighten his grip.


    I am doomed.  Curse your soul rune!


    I covered my face with my hands.  I could only hope that the group would forget about me.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Vaughn giggled in a voice only audible to me; he found it too amusing.


    ¡°You''re the devil,¡± I said, shooting him a glare.


    He laughed out loud, and his arms unwound from my body.  He inadvertently leaned backwards, almost keeling over.


    Matriarch Ruby delighted in his antics.  She exclaimed, ¡°That''s the way to do it!¡±


    She too started laughing, and with another pat, she ushered the cow to move faster.


    A blast of wind pushed me back, and my face turned unsightly.  I grabbed haphazardly onto the cow''s shaggy hair and held on for dear life.  I lowered my body, reducing the amount of air resistance the best I could.


    Apart from the billows rushing into my ears, I heard Matriarch Ruby burst louder with laughter.  She was having the time of her life and made it her goal to make sure everyone in the Cowzer Sect knew it.


    Behind me Vaughn grunted with frustration.  He had slipped back and nearly fallen off the cow, but he had grabbed onto an armor strap at the last second.  Despite hanging on for dear life, he vented his anger.  He kicked the silver plate of armor that hung around the beast''s upper thigh.


    A loud bang sounded out, and Vaughn paled.  His face scrunched up in an unsightly manner as he bit into his lower lip and held back the pain.


    Matriarch Ruby''s laughter grew louder.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± she laughed, trying to get a hold of herself.


    The cow suddenly stopped moving, flinging me forward by a few feet.


    The surrounding area was desolate and riddled with rubble.  We were far away from the center of the sect and close to the outer walls.  All the nearby buildings lacked luster and were very small in size.  Some disciples peaked out from cracked windows, but they did not dare to exit their dilapidated homes.


    With a heave Doyen Gin dismounted the magical beast and used a rune to pull us down with him.  Vaughn landed lightly and elegantly on his feet, but with a painful thump I fell onto the ground like an old, beaten up knapsack.


    ¡°Bye-bye Vaughn!¡± said Matriarch Ruby with a motherly smile.  ¡°Take good care of yourself.¡±


    With a light wave of the hand, she swiftly charged away with Doyen Gale.


    The stout man, furrowing his brows, looked angrily at us.  He blamed us for being ditched by the matriarch.  Lifting his hand up, he pointed to an unoccupied shack.


    He curtly said, ¡°That''s where you live.  Killing and stealing is allowed, but trespassing into someone else''s home is punishable by death.¡±


    Paying no more heed to us, Doyen Gin chased after the giant cow.  With each step his boots dug into the ground, and he launched himself meters at a time.  His speed was shocking, and within seconds he caught up to Doyen Gale and Matriarch Ruby.


    With him gone, murmuring voices rose up among the rubble.  It sounded of desperation and agony, sending a shiver down my spine.  I hurriedly grabbed Vaughn and headed into our shack.


    The door slammed shut behind us.


    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± I said.  I was at my wits end.  Matriarch Ruby scared me to the core with her motherly, yet explosively violent demeanor.  She was like a blood-craving dragon taking care of little pets.  Her rambunctious laughter only added to the image of her insanity.


    Vaughn shrugged with little care, but his frown displayed his worry.


    ¡°Too late for that,¡± he said.  ¡°Where are we, and what do they plan to do with us?  I hope you put your language skills to some actual use.¡±


    ¡°We''re somewhere near Avocet, Appenhund,¡± I responded.


    His eyes went wide, and he grabbed onto my collar.  ¡°Please tell me we are not at the Cowzer Sect!  Why did those mercenaries send us here?!¡±


    I scratched my head.  ¡°They didn''t.  I changed the location of the rune Alaric cast.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± He stared in disbelief.  ¡°You have a lot of explaining to do, but first...¡±


    Vaughn looked around the room.  There were two flat pillows laying on the grime covered floor.  Next to them was a white robe, some clothes, and a small bag.


    Limping over, Vaughn picked up the clothes and took a sniff.  Disgust covered his face, but he seemed content.


    ¡°I am going to change, so get out,¡± he said, pointing towards the door.  ¡°And, don''t EVER say that man''s name in front of me ever again.¡±


    I refused to leave the safety of the shack.  ¡°I''m not leaving.¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± he said.


    ¡°Shouldn''t you be worried if someone discovers that you don''t speak the Appenhund language?¡± I asked, fully aware that there was a stone rune socketed into the door.  It prevented people outside of the sack from listening or peeping in.


    Oblivious of the rune, he whispered with pleading eyes, ¡°Please.¡±


    I felt a sharp pang in my heart, and I cursed at his soul rune.  I knew it was affecting my emotions, but I refused to give in to it.  He had caused a crazed mob to eye me with hate.


    Shaking my head, I sat down in a corner of the room.  ¡°I''m not leaving.¡±


    ¡°Don''t look,¡± he said resolutely.


    ¡°Why would I?¡±  I crooked my head to look at him.


    ¡°Because--¡± he stopped himself.  His gaze drifted away from me.


    ¡°I won''t look,¡± I said and turned to face the wall.  Such a spoiled kid...


    Vaughn silently changed behind me.  I wished he would hurry up, but in my impatience I peeked at him.


    My eyes widened, and feeling like a fool, my cheeks blushed.  I quickly diverted my gaze.


    Why didn''t I notice before?


    I had glimpsed two small breasts.  Shame welled up inside me, and I purposefully hit my head against the wall.  I distracted myself with other thoughts.  It was difficult, but not impossible.


    A bath would be amazing....  My tattered clothes smelled foul while my hair clumped with blood.  My pants were caked in mud, and I longed to be clean.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°I''m done,¡± Vaughn said, and I assumed that he preferred male pronouns over female.


    On his body, he wore the long white robe the sect gave us, but he had torn off the sleeves and thrown them away.  The robe hung loosely over him, hiding his body shape.  His feminine beauty, however, seemed purer with him dressed in simple, white clothes.  He emitted a princely aura.


    It crushed me knowing that such a young, gorgeous woman did not like men.  It took all my strength not to blush and stare.  I mentally slapped myself to push away my thoughts.


    Standing up, I grabbed the other pile of clothes and pulled them closer to me.  With a faint smile, I pretended to be ignorant of his gender.  I tore off my foul shirt in front of him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±  He gaped.  His cheeks flushed red, but before I could respond, he ran outside.


    My smile grew larger in victory and triumph over the egotist.


    This is going to be fun....


    I changed into my new outfit, and it surprised me how well it fit.  The white robe draped perfectly on my body, but the sleeves extended past the ends of my fingers.  Over my left chest, there was a small embroidered emblem of the cow that was engraved on the front gates.  Below it were the words ¡°District 20.¡±


    In the robe''s left sleeve, I noticed a small enchantment rune that I assumed controlled the robe''s size.  It danced around like a little firefly looking for a home.  Near the bottom of the sleeve was a white stone rune that read ¡°Clean.¡±


    I rubbed a bit of dried blood from my hands onto the rune.  My white core appeared, and the rune shone brightly until the light dulled into nothingness.


    I curiously poked at the stone, causing it to radiate even brighter than before.  Some energy drained from my body, making me feel sluggish.


    The white light traveled from the stone onto me.  It moved around my left arm and flickered its way across my whole body.  Wherever it touched, the dirt and blood vanished.


    With a small stutter, the light reached the ends of my body and retreated back into my left sleeve before disappearing.  The whole process made me feel completely clean and satisfied.  Even a sweet fragrance wafted into my nose.


    Magic is amazing.  I stared with wonder at the small rune.


    Plumping down, I sat against the wall to wait for the egotist.  A few minutes passed, but he did not return.  It worried me a bit, but I knew that if he encountered trouble, he could escape with his fancy footwork.


    Tired, I reached for my pillow.  There was a hard, clunky object beneath it.


    ¡°What''s this?¡± I said, lifting up the pillow.


    I grabbed a black object, a tattered book titled Cowzer Sect Basics, and carefully brushed away some grime.  With my finger I traced over the gold lettering that protruded from its cover.


    The book''s spine peeled back in protest as I slowly opened it.


    The first chapter contained an introduction describing the history and founder of the sect, someone by the name of Kozen Cowzer.  Thinking it useful, I read through it, but I found the story boring.  It sounded too much like a clich¨¦ fantasy novel.


    A commoner falls in love with a princess, trains in the way of runes to become stronger, kills some evil magical beasts, travels throughout the world, and blah blah blah....  The king finally gives him his daughter, and he marries her.  Together they start the Cowzer sect and live happily ever after.


    ¡°It''s probably all made up,¡± I said.  Flipping to another seemingly important section, I continued to read.


    Sect Rules


    1. Killing is fair game.


    2. Stealing is fair game.


    3. Lying is fair game.


    4. Cheating is fair game.


    ¡­


    101. Enacting punishment for any of the above is valorous.


    102. Not surviving is punishable by death.


    103. Trespassing is the greatest taboo.


    Other than the last three, reading the rules proved nothing more than demonstrate Kozen Cowzer''s twisted moral views.  Rule 101 seemed out of place, and I could not help but laugh at rule number 102.  Its irony reminded me of my dad''s jokes.


    With a smile, I flipped to a random page.


    The Cowzer Sect is divided into 20 districts.  Those with the lowest rank and talent are placed in the outreaches of the sect until they join one of the top five districts, which are the factions lead by the original five leaders of the Cowzer Sect.


    Each district has at least one Adept overseeing it, and although one may go to any class offered by the sect, each district possesses its own school of learning led by the said Adept.


    My eyes widened.  This seemed important.


    The top five districts are governed by the Cowzer, Tempest, Blaze, Hail, and Shade Factions.  Each posses their own history and rune specialization.  The five stand as equals, and members of these districts are recruited from the other fifteen districts.


    The section abruptly ended, filling me with disappointment.  How does recruitment work?  What do the factions specialize in?  Where are they?  The book filled me with more questions than answers.


    Skipping to the very last pages, I found a folded piece of paper that someone slipped into the book.  It was relatively new and contained a poor drawing of a map of the Cowzer Sect.


    Districts 1-4 were in the very center while the other 16 districts were randomly scattered about.  Their organization confused me, as District 20 was bordered by District 13 to the west, District 12 to the northeast, and District 17 to the east.  To the south of District 20 was the wall surrounding the sect.


    In the southeast corner of District 20, a single shack was drawn in red, labeled with ¡°You are here.¡±  There were no other roads, streets, or buildings depicted, but there was a vague sketch of the surrounding topography outside of the sect.


    Thud!


    There was a bang against the door, and it swung open. Vaughn stepped inside, wearing an angry scrawl on his face.  He disdained the fresh blood that covered his white robe.


    With an angry humph, he tossed five little bags to his side of the room.  They clanged against the wall.


    ¡°What a pain!  Those insects can''t even tell the difference between a Razorback Kitten and a Titan Bull.  They weren''t even rich.¡±


    I''ve never heard of those animals....


    He looked at me; his eyes filled with rage.  ¡°You have some explaining to do.¡±


    Stammering, I said, ¡°We''re in District 20....  Rule number 102 says that dying is punishable by death....  There are five factions....¡±


    As I listed random facts, the egotist''s glare became fiercer and fiercer.  Soon, he discontentedly shook his head with disgust.


    I continued, ¡°There''s a stick figure on the map...¡±


    ¡°Pointless,¡± he said, cutting off my explanations.  ¡°You said that you changed the location of the warp rune.¡±


    I nodded.  ¡°I added another stroke to Crane and changed it to Avocet.¡±


    Vaughn cocked his head; there was a cloud of confusion then a flash of understanding.


    He stomped his foot against the floor, reprimanding me.


    ¡°Never put another stroke through someone else''s magic rune.  If a fake rune is created, a one-sided magic backlash will kill you and leave the caster unharmed.  If you''re lucky, it will create an actual rune and some random effect will appear.  However, there is a high chance it will still kill you.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± he continued.  ¡°What about the rune you used to open the door to the palace''s forest?  Who gave you that rune; I didn''t even know it, and I lived there all my life.¡±


    So he must be a prince or princess¡ªthat explains his big ego.


    I scratched my head, trying to come up with an answer to his question.  Even I was confused by it.


    ¡°It''s like writing,¡± I said, slowly forming my words.  ¡°I knew the word, so I wrote it.¡±


    He stared blankly at me as though trying to process what I had said.  ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I wrote it?¡± I said, matching his blank stare.  ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡±


    He blinked a few times.  ¡°People don''t just ''write'' something.  A specific rune must be carefully memorized and duplicated while the person''s soul resonates with the original essence of the rune.¡±


    His complicated words reminded me of something...What was it?  I racked my brain to recall it.


    ¡°Didn''t you say that runes are based on the callings of the soul and the breath of the earth?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Then,¡± I said, ¡°isn''t that a lot like a written language if the earth and soul could talk?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t work like that,¡± he said, shaking his head.  He sighed.  ¡°But, I suppose you aren''t so useless after all.¡±


    So you did think I was useless.


    He swiftly grabbed my arm and dragged me from the confinements of our small shack.  No matter how much I pulled, I could not budge him in the least.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I yelled.


    He halted his footsteps and turned his head to look at me.  His smile looked so angelic that it contained an enchanting charm.  It made my mind go hazy, but I quickly slapped myself mentally.


    Curse your soul rune!  It''s the onslaught of trouble and lies!


    My expression went sour.


    Vaughn''s smile grew larger and his eyes sparkled.  ¡°We are going to train.  You must become stronger and become accustomed with the ways of this world.  One day you will help me get revenge and find Vaughn.¡±


    ¡°Vaughn?¡± I asked.  It must be the name of a very close friend.


    His smile turned dropped, and he looked away with shocking speed.  With one hand still holding onto my arm, he continued to drag me away.  Without a second thought, he entered his role of being mute and refused to talk.


    I left him be; he seemed so childish with his simple, straightforward personality.  I imagined that if I had a little brother, he would be just like Vaughn.


    Tilting my head up, I looked at the sky.  No clouds were in sight to diminish its blue beauty.


    It''s funny¡ªmy one wish came true after I had left my world.  I wanted a younger sibling, and now I have someone childish and egotistical to look after.  He shall be my new little brother.


    For Vaughn I will become stronger.  Others may laugh at my silly devotion, but they wouldn''t understand.

 Chapter 6: The Ruby Plan

    Chapter 6: The Ruby Plan


    We walked for hours.


    My legs ached, and I felt extremely exhausted ever since I came to this world.  The worst part about it, I had no idea where Vaughn wanted to go.  We literally walked in circles, passing our shack an uncountable amount of times.


    I wanted to voice my complaints, but his childish smile and darting eyes convinced me otherwise.


    An hour ago, Vaughn had stopped pulling me by the arm; instead, he had grabbed onto my hand.


    The run-down shacks and creepily peering disciples did not bother him in the least.  In fact, he purposefully instilled their wrath through his arrogant, egotistical gazes.  He even stuck out his tongue.


    Offended, some disciples revealed crude weapons and prepared to attack us.


    Vaughn''s smile grew in response to their actions.  Its creepiness transcended the disciples'' courage.


    They quickly backed off and admitted defeat.


    Vaughn scoffed in disappointment, but with a happy gait, found some more disciples to antagonize.


    The boy was in his own little world, so I let him be.  It did not bother me in the least.  I have always been chill about what others do.


    That must be why I was always bullied¡ªI never put up a fight or complained.  I really have no backbone, or maybe I just don''t care....


    We arrived in front of our shack again.  I felt my pillow call out to my tattered legs, and I imagined the unfathomable bliss of a long nap.  Stretching out, laying down, no more creepy smiles...


    Vaughn tugged at my arm.  His smile had vanished and he donned big, pleading eyes.


    He still wants to walk more?  Alright, just one more time around....


    I turned to head down a random path we had traveled before, but Vaughn did not budge.  He gave me a funny look before he dragging me into the shack.


    Make up your mind, kid.


    I collapsed onto my pillow and let out a long sigh.  My robe was drenched in sweat caused by the tedious workout and the hot, looming sun.


    Smiling, I poked at the ¡°Clean¡± rune, and all the filth vanished.  I let the soft pillow embrace my face....


    Thunk!  The Cowzer Sect Basics hit me in the head.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± Vaughn asked.  He picked up his pillow and shook out all of the dust.  Patting it down, he placed it onto the ground.  The pillow suddenly looked too flat to be an actual pillow.  Vaughn sat down and entered the Lotus Position.


    ¡°Don''t be lazy,¡± he said.


    ¡°Let me sleep.¡±  I scowled.  ¡°We pointlessly walked around for six hours.  We didn''t even leave District 20.¡±


    He opened his mouth to say something--


    ¡°Good night,¡± I said.


    He scoffed.  ¡°You need exercise; you''re too scrawny.¡±


    Seriously?  That''s why?


    I gave him a baffled look.  ¡°Are you joking?  Look at yourself.  You''re smaller than me, and your pale skin makes you look deathly.  Add in the blood and grime that you don''t clean off your robe and you become the spitting image of a vampire.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± he stuttered.  His face blushed red.  ¡°You clean it up...errr...please?¡±


    I frowned.  What the hell is he talking about?


    His face became a deeper red, and he turned away.  ¡°I mean...the rune you used...activate it for me?¡±


    He covering his face in shame.  ¡°I-I have a black core.¡±


    I sat up and shook my head.  ¡°I don''t know what that means.¡±


    Hearing my words, he sighed in relief and quickly recovered his composure.


    I smiled at his display; he really was straightforward and childish.  My new, little brother...so innocently adorable.


    ¡°It means I can''t activate most runes,¡± he said after some time.  Pointing at me, he continued, ¡°You have a white core, which means you can activate any rune.  However, those with white cores will only activate runes with minimum strength.


    ¡°I posses a black core, which means that I can only activate some runes.  However, it also means that the amount of strength displayed by the activated rune is much more powerful than anyone else who activates it.  It''s also the only reason why I could activate an epic rune despite my 1-Star Novice rank.¡±


    I nodded at his words.  ¡°Alright, show me the stone rune.¡±


    Blushing slightly, he moved closer to me and turned over the inside collar of his robe.  Pinned there were two small stone runes.  One was the ¡°Clean¡± rune while the other read something else.  Before I could grasp its meaning, Vaughn grabbed my hand.


    He pulled it up to his mouth and bit down on the tip of my index finger.  I flinched with pain, but he ignored it, squeezing a few drops of blood onto the runes.


    As the liquid coagulated into cores, my eyes grew heavy.  All the exhaustion of the day bombarded me like a crushing force.


    Using my finger, Vaughn poked the ¡°Clean¡± rune.  The last bit of energy left me, and I fell forward.  Feeling the warmth of his bosom, I fell asleep with a light smile on my face as I imagined his ensuing expression.


    ~~~~~


    In District 1¡ªthe home of the Cowzer Faction, renamed as the Ruby Faction¡ªa lavish mansion shunned all nearby housing.  It boasted of glittering luxury while enchantment runes danced across its marble edifice.  They shone with a purple light, giving the mansion an otherworldly air.


    In one of the rooms was a large meeting hall.  The walls and stone-rune lights were plain, but the tiled floor was covered in pink, soft cushions.


    At the center of the room, three people sat together while a large magical beast dozed off behind them.  A middle-aged woman with a motherly face leaned against its shaggy hair.


    Breaking the silence, Matriarch Ruby said, ¡°You are not to tell any of the other factions about those two kids.  Understand?¡±


    Doyen Gale slowly nodded while the stout Doyen Gin let out a hum in agreement.


    Smiling, she took a sip from her wine glass.  ¡°We are lucky.  The other Grandmasters left us behind while they went to have some fun in Gnudeer, but who would have guessed that both a blue blood and an otherworld human would appear at our doorstep.  Good thing Boon noticed the warp rune fluctuations.¡±


    She stroked the white and black hair of the Imperial Titan Bull, applauding him.  Her face was sincere and heartwarming, but as memories of the past crept into her mind, her temperament grew worse.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    She let out a cold humph.  ¡°I can''t believe they dared to force me to stay here and protect the sect.  Although I may be the weakest of the Grandmasters, I''m still a close relative of Kozen Cowzer.¡±


    The matriarch took an angry sip of wine.  ¡°They''re going to pay, and those two kids are going to be ours.  First, we''ll crush the Tempest Faction; that bastard dared to dump me while our little boy was still so young.¡±


    Doyen Gale sighed inwardly.  Here we go again.  Why can''t Mother remember that she left him to chase after Patriarch Shade?


    With a short laugh and a quick nod, Doyen Gin lightheartedly raised his glass in agreement.  ¡°He''ll pay, darling!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Matriarch Ruby replied.  A light shown in her black eyes as she grew excited.  ¡°Then, we''ll crush the Shade Faction!  That other bastard dared to refuse my affection!¡±


    Under the threat of my father, I wouldn''t see why he would accept a random proposal, Doyen Gale thought.  He only regretted two things in life: having Matriarch Ruby as a mother and Patriarch Tempest as a father.


    At least he received good bloodlines.  At age 37 with the rank of a 2-star Doyen, he was hailed by the Appenhund Kingdom as a true genius.  No one dared to be arrogant in his presence.


    ¡°They will all be crushed, my dear!¡± Doyen Gin laughed at the top of his lungs, his belly jiggling.  Whatever Matriarch Ruby said, he would wholeheartedly follow her, and for it, she adored him.


    Doyen Gin, however, was 92 and young enough to be her great-grandchild.


    Doyen Gale silently shook his head in displeasure.  The stout man was also Patriarch Tempest''s baby brother.  The thought of his mother being with him filled his mouth with vomit.


    It was no wonder why the two drove him to perpetual silence.  He had long since given up the notion of helping them with their schemes.  If he did, the Ruby Faction might not be in so much trouble.


    ¡°This is great,¡± Matriarch Ruby said, waving her wine glass through the air.  ¡°We can get back at Matriarch Blaze for keeping her star disciple from me and that Grandmaster Snow for having such a gorgeous granddaughter.¡±


    She tilted her head backwards.  ¡°Next will be Matriarch Shade and Grandmaster Flameheart for their treachery and deceitful ways!¡±


    Hysterical laughter rang out, and she nearly spilled her wine.  ¡°They will all bow down at my feet, and it will all be because they left us here to rot from boredom!¡±


    Her voice echoed throughout the room until dying out to a faint whisper.  Placing her cup down, she gathered her composure.  A small smile crept on her mouth as she released a tinge of killing intent.  Her following words were filled with confidence.


    ¡°Doyen Gin, in three months time I want you to recruit the two children into the Ruby Faction.  It is of utmost importance, and we cannot let anyone else know about it.  After we obtain them, I hope their talent lives up to my expectations.¡±


    Matriarch Ruby lifted the wine glass up to her lips.  She inhaled its rich fragrance, letting it fill her lungs.  ¡°If they''re failures, Doyen Gale, I''ll trouble you with disposing them.  Sell the blue blood to the Appenhund Kingdom; they''ve always craved to boost their bloodline with that of the Gnudeer Family.  Their pay won''t disappoint us.  As for the other one, do whatever you want.¡±


    Her son silently nodded.


    After swallowing down the last bit of wine, Matriarch Ruby continued, ¡°The plan is simple: convince the disciples of the Ruby Faction to punish District 20 because someone insulted our great name.  Hint that we need more manpower, so if there are any talents, the faction members will recruit them.  District 20 will be wiped of the map for the millionth time, but if all goes well, the two children will be ours.¡±


    ¡°It will not fail,¡± Doyen Gin said.  He put his complete trust into his darling and willed for nothing to go wrong.


    On the other hand Doyen Gale slowly stood up, imperceptibly shaking his head.  The scheme made his heart bleed, not because District 20 would be destroyed, but because it would blight his pride.  It was his mother''s go-to plan for recruitment, and it had always ended in failure.


    On the bright side, the seven other Grandmasters of the Cowzer Sect, without a doubt, would suspect nothing.  They believed Matriarch Ruby to be too dim-witted to be sly.


    In a way they are correct, thought Doyen Gale.  He made his way to leave the meeting room.


    Seeing him walk away, Doyen Gin jumped up and chased after him, calling back to the woman, ¡°Don''t worry my darling, your wish will come true.  With those two new disciples, we''ll rise above the other factions!¡±


    He unconsciously slammed the door shut as he left.


    Matriarch Ruby sat still and waited for the span of a few minutes.  She raised the empty wine glass up to her lips.  Her soul rune flickered, and her eye color changed from black to a deep red.  A jade glow covered her skin, protecting her from any possible harm.


    She bit into the wine glass whose crunch had a delicious appeal.  Smiling, she devoured the entire cup and licked her fingers clean.


    Rubies are so much better, she thought.


    Her magical beast, awoken by her soul fluctuations, slowly nudged its nuzzle against her face.  It quietly mooed to attract her attention.


    ¡°There, there, Boon,¡± said the matriarch.  Her voice sounded so endearing and lovely to the beast.


    ¡°I haven''t forgotten you.  Do you remember how we paraded through the sect today?  Alter everyone''s memory and make them forget that we ever left.  We never brought those two kids here.  Okay?  And remember, everyone but me.  Fill in the gaps like you always do, sweetie.¡±


    She kissed the beast''s nose, and it nodded its head.  Sentience shone in Boon''s eyes as it circulated its soul rune.


    People around the sect started to forget about seeing Matriarch Ruby that day.  They slowly fell asleep, but those who ranked above Adept only suffered a slight drowsiness.


    Doyen Gin paused for a second, trying to remember why District 20 had to be eradicated.  Pushing away his thoughts, he carried on as though nothing strange had happened.

 Chapter 7: The Pointless Goal

    Chapter 7: The Pointless Goal


    My eyes shot open, and a massive entanglement of brown, intangible threads filled my vision.  They distorted the space around them, causing the air to fluctuate in a blur of colors.  The threads inched closer to me, but I could not move.


    As they came closer, they touched my forehead and started forcing their way into my mind.


    My head felt like it was splitting apart, and the pain dulled my senses.  Beads of sweat formed on my skin and dripped down my face.  I started gasping for air.


    Drilling further into my forehead, the threads pulsed with unforeseen strength.  With a light popping sound, they broke through and entered.


    The pain vanished, but my senses blurred and my vision blackened.  Drowsiness wrapped me in its soft embrace...


    Something pulled at me; my eyes shot open!


    Around me was a black night sky that stretched on for eternity.  There was no ground below me nor a moon above me.  No life, no wind, no sound.  Only white stars sparkled, wishing to tell me their story.


    In the distance, a hole appeared and the brown threads emerged from within it.  Squeezing their way through, they expanded into a net that wished to smother me.


    I recognized what it was; it was a rune of some sort.  If a normal rune only contained the meaning of a single word, then this monstrosity formed a book.


    The rune crept closer and closer.... It wanted me to bend to its will.


    A profound sense of danger swelled in my heart, but I was powerless.  I tried to yell, but no voice escaped me.


    Suddenly--


    A white light exploded into existence, forming a spherical net around me.  Each thread of light pulsed with power and dignity, containing the will of the sparkling stars.


    With unwavering courage, the sphere expanded and slammed against the brown rune.  Power fluctuated and sparks flashed, threatening to destroy the tranquility of the night sky.


    The brown rune with a sinister glow pushed against the white light, forcing it to wield.


    In response, countless white wisps emerged to form runic words.  They twisted into being, each containing a profound knowledge.  Their meaning eluded me, but I sensed their essence.


    It was me, Kaiden.


    I reached out to the white light with my thoughts, causing it to hum.  I felt unprecedented clarity.


    The stars in the night sky shot towards the white net, fusing together, and the sphere grew brighter.  It expanded out, pushing away the intruder.


    The brown rune could do nothing to stop it.


    With one last pulse the light destroyed the rune, shredding it into nothingness....


    Calmness pervaded the region, and the white net unwound.  Its strands moved like soft, flowing water and gathered in front of me, forming a fist-sized ball.


    I could clearly see that the white light was actually my soul rune, and sensing my gaze, it shyly compressed into a pure white teardrop.


    I poked it, whereupon it shot to the space between my eyebrows with flashing speed and entered my skull.


    The sparkling stars returned to the endless night sky.  There was a tugging sensation...


    ~~~~~


    I slowly opened my eyes.  My breath was shallow and sweat drenched my forehead, but I was relieved to see the dirty walls of my shack.


    Next to me Vaughn laid unconscious.  I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and tried to shake him awake.  Frowning, I pressed two fingers against his neck to check his pulse.


    Normal, and he is still breathing.  I sighed with relief and retracted my hand.


    Vaughn stirred slightly and slowly opened his eyes.  He looked around with confusion, but he quickly remembered where we were.


    ¡°I can''t believe I fell asleep,¡± he said, letting out a light yawn.  He stretched out his arms, nearly smacking me in the face.  I swear he did it on purpose.


    ¡°You look like you''ve seen a ghost,¡± he said, sitting up.


    I smiled¡ªnothing seemed wrong with him.


    ¡°We need to leave,¡± I said, wiping away a drop of sweat.  ¡°It should be our first and foremost goal.  This place is too dangerous.¡±


    He gracefully brushed back a short lock of hair.  ¡°You always say that: when you first met me, when we came here, and right now.  I think we should stay for three obvious reasons.  First, you''re pathetically weak; second, we have nowhere to go; and third, they''ll kill us if we try to leave.  Never underestimate the Cowzer Sect.


    ¡°Staying here has its benefits.  We can easily gather information about the mercenary guild called The Blood Wolf and hide innocently within the Appenhund borders.  Then, you can train to become a skilled Runist of the Cowzer Sect¡ªif you don''t die, that is.  Afterwards, we can leave and destroy The Blood Wolf.¡±


    ¡°The Blood Wolf,¡± I said.  The name reminded me of the emblem on the ax the mercenary wielded.  Wait a second...


    I frowned, looking deep into Vaughn''s violet eyes. ¡°Is this for revenge?¡±


    I never understood the point of revenge in movies.  It just fuels more hate and violence.  If I was the main character, I would disappear and make a new life for myself.


    He vehemently nodded, not shamed at all for wanting something so pitiful.  ¡°Of course.  Nothing is as sweet as revenge.¡±


    ¡°Or as pointless,¡± I added.  Ever since I first met him, I could tell that his thinking was as straightforward and plain as an ox.  ¡°Give up.  You need to be sly to get your revenge.  With your simple attitude, you''ll fail.¡±


    ¡°What?! No!¡±  He overreacted to my words.  Determination filled his eyes as he refused to back down.  ¡°I will have my revenge.  It''s not pointless!  You don''t understand; you''re not from this world.  Revenge, for anyone with strength, is everything.


    ¡°That man caused my mother''s death...and her lover''s.  I was left with nothing, absolutely nothing.  At the tender age of eight, I had to take care of my younger brother while I was forced to live out a life determined by my father.  What I wanted to do had no meaning.¡±


    Tears gathered in the boy''s violet eyes; he abruptly wiped them away.  ¡°I''m so sick of it all!  Only when my mother was alive did I feel like I could live my own life.  That man took it all away.  One day, I''ll have my revenge, but...¡±


    He buried his head between his two hands.  The tears kept pouring, but his voice still contained resoluteness.  ¡°I need your help.  I can''t do it with my black core.  I told you before that people with black cores can only use some runes, but it''s worse than it sounds.


    ¡°Out of thousands of common stone runes, I could only activate one.  Through sheer luck I discovered another rune that I could use, but for the other three, I can only activate them because I inherited them from my mother.  All five are not meant for fighting.  I can''t do it alone.  I can''t!¡±


    Surprised by his sudden outburst, I gently rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.  I never imagined that this egotist would ever ask for my, the useless person''s, help.  I could not truly understand his pain, but I felt it and it pulled at my heartstrings.


    Vaughn continued with soft sobs.  ¡°My soul rune is pointless.  It''s more of a curse than a blessing.  Without activating it, it still makes people feel attracted and drawn towards me.  Do you understand what that means?¡±


    Looking into my eyes, Vaughn shook his head.  His gaze was empty¡ªlonely and sad.  ¡°Do they truly like me?  No, it''s a bunch of lies.  Everyone loves me, but at the same time, no one does, and they never will.  They never can.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He lifted his head and tried to steady his breath.  ¡°You''re different.  My mother always said that for every rune, there is a person who is immune to it.  Are you?¡± he said, eyes puffy and red yet filled with hope.


    I stopped rubbing his back, sighing lightly.


    ¡°Somewhat.  It doesn''t make me like you, but it prevents me from hating you.  When we first met, I should have been disgusted by you.¡±


    Vaughn relaxed a bit, not feeling offended by my last few words.  Actually, he seemed a little happy.


    ¡°Will you help me get revenge?¡±  he asked, biting down his pride.


    A person should not waste away his life in hate.


    I wanted to discourage him, but I saw the determination in his eyes.  I knew that nothing I said would stop him, so I relented with a sigh, but not before questioning him.


    ¡°After you have your revenge, what will you do?  Will you be able to continue living the life you built up for yourself, or will it vanish with the completion of your goal?¡±


    Before letting him answer, I said, ¡°You can''t change what has already happened.  Don''t chase after empty dreams.  Whether it be returning to a place you can''t return to or enacting revenge, it''s all pointless.  You should just give up and live the life you have now.¡±


    His expression turned sour, and he closed his eyes, trying to hold back a second outburst of tears.


    I rubbed the top of his head the same way my dad used to do for me.  I smiled.  ¡°That being said, helping you with your frivolous goal is completely different.¡±


    Vaughn''s eyes went wide, and he looked up at me.  He saw me as a shining light, all signs of sadness washed away.  Wearing an egotistical smile, he asked, ¡°You''ll help me?¡±


    Seeing his new expression, I felt like I was played.


    ¡°Yeah, but you should teach me about this world before I change my mind.  Furthermore, I need to get something from this deal.¡±


    I paused and, with a teasing smile, continued.  ¡°Just promise me that no matter what you give up for revenge, you will not toss me away.  Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±  He nodded his head with vigor.


    Raising an eyebrow, I asked, ¡°Who''s Vaughn?¡±


    His face paled.  It looked more unsightly than before, and his red eyes did him no good.


    ¡°Fine.  I''ll leave it be,¡± I said.  It can''t be that important.  If it is, he''ll tell me.


    Frowning, the boy looked away and said, ¡°He''s someone I look up to, so I took his name.¡±


    He always turns away when he lies to me....


    Ignoring it, I quickly changed the subject in fear of an awkward silence.


    ¡°What do you know about the Cowzer Sect?  Tell me everything about the common knowledge of your world including locations, organizations, geography, and runes.  Wait, no. I won''t remember anything if you tell me it all at once.¡±


    Vaughn laughed at me, completely forgetting about the previous matter.  He started telling me about the social structure and how it revolved around runes.  He sounded so passionate about the subject as though he had studied it for years.


    ¡°In this world, everything is dominated by the kingdoms, sects, and guilds who posses the most strength in runes.  Power is best achieved by bringing together powerful individuals because the strength of soul runes is likely to depend on one''s parents.  They call this someone''s bloodline.


    ¡°The four main kingdoms of the continent of Haven include Appenhund in Haven''s northeast extending south to the Crystal Mountains, Beecivet to the east and including the Royal Geysers, Gnudeer to the southwest, and Hartebeest beyond the Crystal Mountains.¡±


    His eyes gleamed with excitement and pride as he spoke, especially when he mentioned Beecivet.  It was strange, considering that I knew he was from Gnudeer.  His expression quickly dropped as he continued; something made his voice fill with disgust.


    ¡°Each kingdom is ruled by a royal family who possesses an extremely pure bloodline.  It''s so powerful that people call its wielders blue bloods.  The kingdoms, which have their own schools to train Runists, encourage students who have strong soul runes to marry each other.  Those who don''t make the cut must either choose to leave or to never marry anyone with a higher rank.


    ¡°Sects are much like schools, but instead of fostering bloodlines by controlling marrying prospects, they follow the motto, ''Survival of the strong and the weeding of the weak.''  Anyone is allowed to kill anyone else.¡±


    Sighing, he brushed his hair to the side again.  ¡°The Cowzer Sect is notorious for being extremely fierce and bloody.  I hear that they pit their inner disciples of their top five districts against each other.  It will be hard for you to survive.¡±


    A strange glimmer of admiration filled his eyes as he continued,  ¡°Matriarch Ruby is especially violent.  She''s fierce and strong, and although she is the weakest of Cowzer''s eight Grandmasters, she does whatever she wants.  Her looks are plain, but her charisma is admirable.¡±


    ¡°Vaughn,¡±  I interrupted him.  ¡°We met her.  She was the middle-aged woman.¡±


    ¡°What middle-aged woman?¡± he asked.  Confusion danced on his face.  ¡°She''s like 500 years old, but looks young and in the prime of life.¡±


    ¡°The one who found us.¡±  I cocked my head.  People live that long here?  And, you think Ruby looks young?  She reminds me of my mom...


    He returned a blank look, stating that I was crazy.


    I slowly started explaining more.  ¡°The one who rode on the giant magical beast that looked like a cow, two men were with her, she hugged you...do you remember?¡±


    Vaughn shook his head and continued giving me a funny look.


    ¡°None of that happened,¡± he said.  ¡°I was with you the whole time.  We warped to a nearby place, and at the time, my arm was severely bleeding.  I tried to cast a rune to heal it, but I failed due to exhaustion.  As I lost more blood, my consciousness started fading in and out.


    ¡°Worried, you carried me on your back to what you thought was the closest village.  It ended up being the Cowzer Sect¡ªI don''t know what you were thinking, but you found someone to help me.   Afterwards, he tossed us into this shack.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what happened,¡± I said.  Why doesn''t he remember?  ¡°Did you hit your head?¡±


    ¡°You''re crazy,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then--¡± I hesitated for a moment, ¡°do you remember seeing a brown rune?¡±


    He scoffed, believing I was crazy.  ¡°Brown runes don''t exist.  There are only white, green, blue, purple, and orange runes in existence.  Don''t ask about your crimson colored rune strokes; they''re a mystery to the world.¡±


    ¡°But what if they do exist?  Imagine a humongous rune with brown, pulsing threads invading your mind.¡±


    Vaughn crossed his arms and laughed.  ¡°You know nothing.   Only soul runes are massive, but yours should be colored white, the same color as your core.  Once you officially reach the rank of Apprentice, you''ll be able to see it.¡±


    A strange smile covered his face; it contained a hint of mischief as though he knew something he should not.


    ¡°That reminds me,¡± he said.  ¡°You still don''t know why everyone places so much importance on powerful soul runes.  Do you want to know why?¡±

 Chapter 8: First Blood

    (A/N: I''m off to breakfast.  It took longer than I expected to add italics, so I''ll post the next 3 chapters when I come back in approximately 2 hours.)


    Chapter 8: First Blood


    Vaughn smiled.


    ¡°Soul runes are the essence of the soul, and for regular people, the soul and body are separate.  When one starts to tread the path to becoming a Runist, the soul and body fuse together, causing the body to be able to grow stronger and more durable.  A person''s lifespan will even be extended!¡±


    He leaned towards me, his sweet fragrance touching my senses.  My heart beat faster, and I wanted to move away, but I could not bring myself to do so.


    He said, ¡°When a soul rune is powerful, the soul displays extraordinary talent and growth, causing the person to quickly improve their skill in the way of runes.  When the soul and body fuse, the body will easily become stronger, quicker, and tougher than one fused with a weak soul.  It is directly related to talent and potential.¡±


    He spread his arms out wide. ¡°The Apprentice rank is reached when the body and soul first start to fuse.  Only ten percent of people can accomplish this, but when someone succeeds, their body no longer needs nutrients for sustenance.  Instead, the soul directly feeds and supplies it with everything it needs.  At that point, you can even start training your soul through meditation!


    ¡°A Novice gains the ability to activate their soul rune and can live for 50 more years.¡±  Vaughn''s smile turned smug.  ¡°I, at the age of 16, reached Novice with minimal training.  I am an unprecedented genius!


    ¡°My mother was an Adept by the age of 30.  She was a genius too.  My younger brother reached Adept this year at the age of 15.¡±  Vaughn poked my forehead and leaned closer to my face.  He was indescribably happy whenever he bragged.


    Still smiling, he said, ¡°You need to grow stronger.  You''re falling behind, and don''t you want to at least become a Doyen?  No one ever disrespects a Doyen!¡±


    I leaned closer to Vaughn, and our heads almost touched.  With a wry smile I said, ¡°Didn''t you say you became a Novice at 16 and your brother became an Adept at 15?¡±


    He pulled back.  Face red, the egotist stammered.


    ¡°I-I had to train in secret.¡±  He touched his two index fingers together in embarrassment.  ¡°My brother could train everyday, and he had the best teachers.  If I indulged in that kind of treatment, I would be an Adept.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn''t you?¡± I asked.


    Vaughn''s smile disappeared.  ¡°My black core and soul rune handicaps me in battle, so I was never allowed to train.¡±


    I raised one of my brows.  ¡°Shouldn''t they have at least let you try?  By becoming stronger, you can live longer and train others as a teacher if you can''t fight.  Having you waste away is completely useless to them.¡±


    A longing filled his eyes, but Vaughn refused to speak.  Something prevented him as though the answer was too shameful to say.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± I said, rubbing his head.  ¡°How do I fuse my body and soul together?¡±


    ¡°Meditate and clear your mind.  Then, try to feel deep inside yourself.  Eventually you will enter your inner soul.  That place is different for everybody, so I can''t explain it to you.  However, I do know that your soul rune will be hidden somewhere in your inner soul.  Find it and--¡±


    His eyes narrowed.  He faced the door and quietly stood up.


    ¡°What is--¡± I tried to ask, but Vaughn silenced me with a sharp hush.


    Standing up, he touched the door with his right hand and, using a great deal of force, pushed it open.


    A tall, young man stumbled back.  His hard eyes contained an overbearing arrogance, and at his side he  wore a soiled dagger fastened down by the sash around his white robe.


    Vaughn tried to grab him, but the man, quickly swatting the hand away, snorted at the egotist in disdain.  With a faint smile, the eavesdropper began fleeing at great speed.


    The egotist stared wide-eyed and, falling for the provocation, chased after him.


    ¡°Vaughn!¡± I yelled, trying to stop the boy, but it was too late.


    Curses!  He''s so irresponsible, falling for such a simple ploy.


    I looked out from under the doorway.  The egotist was nowhere to be seen, so I reentered the shack.


    ¡°Now what do I do?¡± I asked, scratching my head.  I wanted to know how to become an Apprentice, and the more I thought about it, the more interested I became in learning magic.


    My soul rune is powerful, and by the sound of it, I might be talented in magic.


    I smiled as I dreamed of being an almighty wizard¡ªrobe waving in the wind, curing plagues, rescuing damsels in distress....


    Knock!  Knock!  The sound pulled me from my fantasies.


    Vaughn came back sooner than I expected.


    I opened the door for him, but someone grabbed my wrist with shocking speed.  Giving a quick yank, he pulled me from the safety of my shack and tossed me onto the floor.


    ¡°Well, that was easy,¡± he said before slamming the door shut.


    I looked up, and a group of people had me surrounded.  All but one wore white robes; the seventh wore green.


    Behind me was the man, robed in white, who had pulled me from the shack.  He had a decent build and was somewhat handsome, but something about his arrogant demeanor made him extremely unlikable.


    Being the leader, he spoke first.  ¡°You are going to pay for what your cloaked friend did.  He dared to kill two of us this morning, and let me tell you this, we make the rules here in District 20.  Burke, Clurke, what do you two want to do with him?¡±


    ¡°Let me go?¡± I said.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±  He viciously spat at me.  ¡°No one told you to speak.¡±


    The man turned to face the two stout brothers at my left.  They looked almost identical if not for the various scars that marked up their faces and hands.  Simultaneously, they popped their knuckles.


    ¡°Let''s break his legs!¡± they said with a laugh.


    ¡°That won''t be fun,¡± said the yellow-eyed man who reminded me of a viper.  He was very lanky, and within his long, bony hands he held a wooden rod.


    A wicked smile grew on his face and killing intent shone in his yellow eyes.  ¡°It''s better if he was helplessly beaten first, so we can see him try to struggle away in pain.  Then, we can slowly break his legs.¡±


    The girl to my right scoffed at them, unable to hold anyone in respect but the leader.  Oily sweat dripped down her face and rolls of fat unfashionably spilled out from under her white robe.  As she stole glances at the man behind me, her eyes glittered with admiration and lust.


    Covered in grime, the small boy who stood next to her frowned in jealousy at her constant ogling of the leader.  Although he looked to be around thirteen, he flashed the girl a lecherous grin inappropriate for his age.


    I wanted to smack him for his vulgarity.


    ¡°Let''s skin him and hang his carcass up on the wall,¡± the boy said, trying to attract the girl''s attention.  ¡°Wouldn''t you like that Apprentice Missy?¡±


    I snorted at him, but as if to reprimand me, the yellow-eyed man struck my shoulder with his weapon.  I fell helplessly onto the ground.


    They all chortled at me except for the seventh person, the Novice robed in green.


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    He, unaffected by their actions, sat lazily on the roof of my shack.  He looked to be about my age and had the blackest eyes I had ever seen.  They reflected his boredom and contained a tint of sadness.


    A muddy-colored soul rune floated around him like a cloud of yarn.  By his left shoulder, a glob of red strands grasped onto his rune''s muddy threads.  The two colors were in conflict, and I had a strange feeling that something might be seriously wrong with his soul rune.


    The young man, showing an expression of complete boredom, let out a light yawn before reaching into his bag.  He methodically took out a blue carrot and started nibbling on it, ignoring the group''s laughter.


    The lanky man struck me again¡ªharder this time.  My shoulder throbbed in pain, and I inwardly laughed at my idiocy.


    Why had I opened the door?


    Validating my foolishness, I felt a strange sense of security.  Instincts told me that my assailants were harmless; only the mysterious Novice in green posed a threat.


    Whack!  I was struck again, and again, and again...


    I curled up into a ball.  It made me feel worthless and pathetic, but in the recesses of my mind, I heard whispers.  They grew louder and louder.


    Those who cannot see my worth are nothing more than ants beneath my feet.


    The words filled me with endless pride.  I may be horrible at everything, but I knew that I was still a person, a living being deserving of respect.


    ¡°Damn it; this guy is like a rock,¡± my attacker groaned, hands bleeding.  ¡°He just takes the pain and doesn''t cry out.¡±


    ¡°Let us try!¡± I heard the twins say in unison.  ¡°We''ll kick him!¡±


    ¡°You two are so vulgar, trying to dirty your shoes like that.¡±  The girl''s slobbery voice rang out.  ¡°Ollie, pass me the weapon.¡±


    She used it to viciously poke at my ribs.  Her strength surprised me; it seemed so inhuman for such a small, albeit heavy, girl to strike so hard.  With each hit, she insulted Vaughn as though he was the root of all evil in the world.


    ¡°Purple-eyed freak!¡±


    ¡°Blind fool!¡±


    ¡°Brainless turd!¡±


    ¡°Handsome nobody!¡±


    Her shrieks fueled my hate and made my blood boil.  They could insult me, but I would not allow them to insult Vaughn.  He was my new little brother!


    Something snapped.  I felt the soul rune inside of me expand throughout my body, and as I became angrier, it began to rotate.  A thin, red mist soon covered my skin, and rage clouded my vision.


    I grabbed the wooden rod with my right hand, easily pulling it away from the girl.  She was weaker than I thought.


    With my free hand I clutched onto her greasy hair, causing her to shriek in pain.  I yanked with all my might and flung her onto the ground.


    The girl''s palms scraped the floor and started bleeding, but before she could stand up, I struck her with the weapon in my hand.


    I heard her ribs crack.


    The men started yelling.


    I could not understand their words; my mind was too clouded in rage to think properly.


    With all my strength, I thrust the rod straight down into the girl''s chest.  It pierced through her fat and ribs, causing her to gurgle and choke on her own blood.  After the span of a few breaths, she stopped moving.


    Enraged, the perverted boy jumped onto my back.  He struck me with his fists.


    ¡°@#$! %@#!¡± the boy yelled, but his wails meant nothing to me.


    I grabbed onto his neck and threw him onto the ground.  With a fluid motion, I slammed the rod at his head.  There was a ¡°pop,¡± and the boy went limp; his blood stained the ground.  His skull had been cracked open.


    I felt a wave of excitement, but also fear, jolt through my body.  It shook me from my trance.


    The leader threw a punch at my head.  To stunned to do anything, I let it hit the side of my face.


    There was a loud bang, but I barely sensed any pain.  It felt nothing more than a slap to the cheek.


    The leader gasped as his eyes dilated.


    ¡°You''re just like your friend!¡± He said, looking at the two dead bodies.  His face darkened, and he felt dread for attacking me.


    Quickly, the two brothers and lanky man began to flee.  For some reason they feared me.


    ¡°You three!¡± the man howled at the ones who abandoned him.  He flashed me a deathly glare as he too ran away. ¡°I''ll deal with you later!¡±


    Once silence filled the area, I looked at my hands as my breathing hastened.  I trembled.


    What did I do?!  This isn''t me!  I shook my head.  This isn''t me!


    Thud.


    A half-eaten, blue carrot fell to the ground.


    I quickly raised my head.  The green-robed young man was standing on the roof.  I had forgotten about him.


    Our eyes met, and his black pupils suddenly dilated with surprise.  He muttered, ¡°That soul rune...what is it?¡±


    Before I responded, he looked down at the spoiled carrot and sighed.  Paying no more heed to me, he shook his head in pity as though his snack had met a horrible demise.


    The Novice sighed again, trying to stress its importance.  It must have broke his heart.


    He lazily reached into his bag and pulled out another blue carrot that was identical to the previous.  He took a small bite.  With a satisfied nod he jumped down from the roof and vanished from my sight.


    I glanced at the corpses one more time before I entered my shack.  I thought I would be relieved in the safety of its enclosure, but my breath went shallow.  The walls strangled me for my sins; my hands grew heavy with the burden of death.


    The blood¡ªI need to wash away the blood.


    I frantically jabbed at the rune in my left sleeve, but no matter how many times the light washed over me, I felt the red liquid crawling beneath my skin.  It drove me crazy.


    Exhausted, I touched the rune for a final time, but no light escaped it.


    I weakly looked up, seeing the disdainfully opened door.  With trembling limbs I slowly inched my way to it.  My stomach lurched and I stumbled a few times, but I somehow managed to close it with trembling hands.


    Weak and pale, I returned to collapse on my pillow.  My body shivered as though possessed by an evil spirit.


    The excitement of killing the girl had shaken the very recesses of my soul.


    Is this the taste of revenge and the reason for Vaughn''s desire for vengeance?


    I weakly shook my head, trying to find a better answer.


    ¡°Survival of the strong and the weeding of the weak,¡± Vaughn had said, but as I thought about it, I realized something.


    The words, ¡°Revenge, for anyone with strength, is everything,¡± contained another meaning...


    If you cannot enact revenge, why would anyone fear killing those dear to you?  It was not about making someone suffer, but about protecting those you love¡ªthe only thing that truly mattered.


    It may sound twisted, but it was this world''s iron rule: either leech from the strong or be strong enough to survive.

 Chapter 9: Ambush

    Chapter 9: Ambush


    ¡°Well, you look dead,¡± a voice sounded from the doorway.


    I weakly lifted my head from my pillow.  Vaughn was haughtily standing there with his hands on his hips.  His sudden appearance lifted my mood, but for what reason, I did not know.


    Shaking his head, he looked down on me.  ¡°Is it those dead bodies?  People die all the time, especially in large sects such as this one.  You should get used to it.  Many people do.¡±


    What he said smothered my happiness, and I asked myself why had I even decided to accept this guy as my little brother.  Of course, he did not know that I thought of him as a little brother.  I just really wanted one.


    ¡°You should stay in here,¡± the egotist said.  He pointed towards the closed door.  ¡°That fat girl was a 1-Star Apprentice and so was the other dead person, as evident by the single star below their robe''s emblem.  You''re dead meat to anyone who can kill those two, so you should stay in the safe confines of this shack.¡±


    I lowered my head.


    I had killed those two.  The thought put a nasty taste in my mouth and filled me with irritation.


    Vaughn continued to comfort me, but it only made me feel worse.  He talked about death, killing, and how it was perfectly natural.  He even said I was acting like a little baby ignorant of the rules of survival.


    ¡°The strong eat the weak, and the weak eat the weaker, and the weaker eat¡ªhey!¡± Vaughn poked me with the tip of his boot.  ¡°Are you even listening?  I''m giving you a very important talk about this world.  Anyone else would be happy if I gave them so much attention.¡±


    He plopped down in front of me.  ¡°Don''t make me drag you outside and force you to stare at those corpses.  I don''t even want to look at them; they are a bit gross.


    ¡°I''m a fan of clean killing.¡±  He made a slurping noise as he dragged his finger across his neck.  ¡°Quick, easy, clean.  That''s how I like it, not ''shatter the skull and splatter the brain.''¡±


    My face turned green.


    ¡°Are you going to stay wrapped up in your own little world?¡± He looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Now I''m babysitting a little kid.¡±


    ¡°You''re the kid,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ha!¡±  He smiled.  ¡°You responded to me.  Now, do you want to know a secret?¡±


    ¡°You like killing?¡±


    ¡°What? No.¡±  The egotist was aghast.  ¡°What makes you think that?  I was trying to change the subject for you because I am a nice person--¡± His head jolted.  ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Must have been my imagination...¡± he said, trailing off at the end.  ¡°Back to the point, I was going to tell you what my inner soul looks like.¡±


    ¡°Blood?¡± I said with sarcasm.


    ¡°Not funny,¡± he responded with a scowl.  He looked very insulted.  ¡°The inner soul is very sacred.  You don''t go around making fun of it.  Me saying that I''m going to tell you what it looks like is a very serious matter.  In fact, you should feel proud of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, slowly sitting up.  I could not bare to allow him to start explaining why I should be proud and honored to have him tell me about himself.  It would worsen my mood by reminding me about how pathetic I am....


    I could not stop myself from killing those two people.


    Vaughn smiled, his spirit uplifted.  ¡°One condition: you need to tell me about yours.¡±


    ¡°If it''s so sacred, people shouldn''t ask about them.¡±


    ¡°T-that...¡± he stammered, slightly blushing.  ¡°So what! I can do what I want.¡±


    Under his childish revolt, the turmoils of murder seemed to wash away like blood in the pouring rain.


    Is this a result of his soul rune?


    ¡°I''ll tell you,¡± I said.  I had no reason not to; he was the only family I had.


    Vaughn''s eyes widened, and he said, ¡°My inner soul is a forest of black pillars.  Directions are completely skewed to the point that I can''t tell which way is which.  Each pillar can be stood on as though it was the ground, so neither up nor down can be identified.  At times the pillars cross, creating a giant maze.  Even I don''t know its path.


    ¡°It took me a long time to find my soul rune.  I had a sudden burst of enlightenment and discovered that the pillars themselves were its strokes.  If someone hadn''t told me that black-core soul runes usually have odd shapes, whether it be super curly or very angular, I might not have come to my realization.¡±


    The egotist scratched his head in embarrassment.  It must have been his first time being modest.


    His eyes flickered to the side.  A moment passed, and he muttered a few words under his breath.


    ¡°Did you hear something again?¡± I asked, looking around the room.  All seemed normal.


    Vaughn slowly closed his eyes as though he was deep in thought.


    After some time passed, I called out to him.


    ¡°Vaughn.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± He lifted his head.


    I made a guess.  ¡°My inner soul is an endless night sky filled with a countless number of flickering stars.¡±


    Vaughn raised a brow.  ¡°You entered your inner soul?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His eyes filled with disbelief, but I could tell that he believed me.


    ¡°And your soul rune?¡± he asked.  ¡°There''s no way you could have found it.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±  I smiled.  ¡°It was hidden inside of me and exploded outwards.  When it happened, I reached out to it, and all of the stars shot towards it.  They temporarily fused, and my mind felt an unprecedented clarity.¡±


    His mouth went agape, and the corner of his mouth twitched.


    Are you surprised that someone as untalented like myself can do something right?


    I nodded with pride.  Seeing his reaction, I was sure that that place had been my inner soul.


    ¡°My soul rune compressed into a little white teardrop and entered my head.  Then the stars returned to the endless night sky.  Following that, I woke up.¡±


    ¡°Y-you,¡± he stuttered.  ¡°You already fused with your soul rune?  That makes you a 1-Star Apprentice.  Any subsequent advances will be followed by a burst of increased strength.¡±


    ¡°Are you proud of me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure....¡±  he said, but he turned his eyes away.  ¡°Make sure you don''t tell anyone about anything that has happened.  It is extremely important that you listen to me.  Do not tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± I asked.  It was him who liked bragging.


    ¡°You are innocently ignorant of everything.¡±  Vaughn stood up.  He walked towards the door.  ¡°For example, do you know what it means if the person who killed those two let them go?¡±


    He pulled open the door and pointed outside, but...


    I gasped; I felt that my eyes were deceiving me.


    The whole doorway was sealed by long, flat stones stacked on top of each other.  No sunlight peaked through; it was as if someone buried the shack beneath the earth.


    Oblivious, Vaughn shook his head in disappointment.  ¡°Death is not that horrifying.  You need a serious crash course about what is normal.  This--¡±


    Vaughn turned, and I imagined that his violet eyes bulged from his head.  He stuttered then panicked.  He placed his hands against the cold stones blocking the entrance.  His fingers fumbled against its surface as fear welled inside him.


    He pushed, kicked, punched....


    The egotist looked as helpless as a worm flailing in the mouth of a bird.  Veins appeared on his forehead as he strained his muscles to budge the stones.  He desperately kicked the barricade one more time.


    He yelled, ¡°THIS is what it means to let someone go!  RETRIBUTION.  I should have camped longer at that eavesdropper''s house.  What a COWARD!  Picks a fight with me, runs away, hides in his house...no backbone!¡±


    The boy puffed in rage and, using his two hands, helplessly smacked the stones.  His eyes turned puffy.


    He must really hate being confined.


    ¡°What about the window?¡± I said, walking up to its broken pane.  It was completely clear, not barricaded in any way.


    ¡°STOP!¡± he shouted, but it was too late.  I had touched the sill, and when I did, an inconspicuous stone rune flashed.  The window swung open.


    The lanky, yellow-eyed man from before suddenly stood up from below the pane.  His mouth flashed me an evil grin as he tossed something small through the window.  He quickly dove away.


    The oval object lobbed through the air, clacked against the floor, and ricocheted off the wall.  It skipped a few times before coming to a stop in the center of the room.


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    My eyes rested on the small object.  It was a gray stone with ¡°Rune-Pulse¡± engraved into its surface.


    Crap!


    The rune flashed with a bright light and a runic sphere exploded from its surface in shocking speed.


    It slammed into me with the might of a raging rhinoceros.  I hit the wall behind me and heard a sharp snap.  My left arm bent in a strange angle.


    Vaughn helplessly slammed into the barricade, which finally gave way under the force of the rune.


    It obliterated the window''s last bit of glass into a million shards while a crater formed where the rune activated.


    I yelled out in pain; the hurt of my broken arm finally registered.


    The destructive power of a single, common stone rune amazed me, but I was most surprised by myself.  My body had completely defied physics, and I did not become a dead pancake.


    Dust filled every corner of the shack, cloaking everything in a brown fog.  I coughed once...twice...as I slowly stumbled my way to the doorway while cradling my broken arm.  I bit into my bottom lip.


    To be slammed through a pile of heavy stones must have caused Vaughn some serious injuries.


    I quickened my pace, and light pierced through the dust as I exited the shack.  Gulping fresh air, I coughed once more.


    A loud roar rang out, blowing back the dust.  It shook the surrounding area with its voluminous rage.  It affected everything that heard it.


    A strange emotion spun through my mind.


    I felt deep shame as if I had done the most heinous of crimes to the greatest love of my life.  It made me feel insignificant, like an ant begging for forgiveness.  My legs wobbled.  Even my mind fogged and I forgot where I was.


    Suddenly, a sensation radiated from my inner soul and stomach.  It traveled up my body and through my throat.  It reached the center of my forehead and suppressed the emotions I had felt.  Its touch was as soft as a mother''s caress.


    As soon as my senses cleared, I heard many voices.


    ¡°I''m sorry!  Forgive me!¡±


    ¡°It was their plan; they made me do it!¡±


    ¡°Have mercy my love!¡±


    A group of about two dozen people prostrated themselves in front of the shack.  Some looked familiar¡ªtwo twins, a decently handsome arrogant man, and a lanky person with yellow eyes.  The others were all new faces.


    The disciples ranged from all ages and each wore a white robe.  Only the leader¡ªthe arrogant man who had pulled me from the shack that one time¡ªdonned two stars on his robe.  Everyone else had at most one star.


    Tears formed in their eyes, and their wails reached up to the sky.  It filled the area with despair and sorrow.


    In the center of their encirclement was a pile of stones.  Beneath them, angry curses sounded, threatening to enact revenge.  Under their onslaught, the stones trembled in fear.  The topmost ones rolled and crashed to the ground.


    With a loud heave, a large rectangular slab was lifted into the air.  Beneath it, Vaughn stood upright, holding the stone above his head with his delicate arms.  It loomed over everything, threatening to crush the group of people.


    The egotist''s eyes were aflame with hatred.  He scoffed and looked down at the prostrating disciples who had incurred his wrath.  They were far beneath him, he must have thought.


    I had never seen anyone angrier than this graceful, yet vulgar, young lady.  If I ever told anyone that he was in fact a princess, they would laugh at me and claim that I had been dropped on the head as a baby.


    ¡°All of you are going to pay for what you did!¡± In his rage, Vaughn forgot that he spoke Gnudeerian. ¡°I will make sure you suffer a million times.  You dared to kill my friend!¡±


    His concern and anger for me moved my heart, but I did not know whether to laugh or cry.  Other than my broken arm, I was perfectly fine.


    With another heave Vaughn tossed the rectangular stone at the leader.  It soared through the sky like a cannonball.


    Sensing the impending danger, the man snapped from his mindless trance of forgiveness.  His eyes widened, but he managed to roll to the side.  The stone grazed him before crashing into the ground.


    With a quake, it broke apart the already cracked road and awakened the other disciples.  Reasoning returned to their eyes, and anger flushed their startled faces.  They hated the egotist as much as he did them.


    ¡°You arrogant brat!  We''ll teach you your place in the world¡ªbowing down and licking my feet!¡± the leader yelled, his eyes glowing with hate.  The other disciples joined him in his hollering.


    Vaughn haughtily laughed at their sudden uprising.  He could not understand what they said, but he felt their intentions.  He cast his eyes downwards at the disciples.  A devious smile formed on his lips.


    The egotist unleashed a tangible killing intent into the area.  It crept down the back of my neck, causing a shiver.  The surrounding group faltered; some staggered back in fear without the willpower to fight.


    Watching their helpless charade, Vaughn grabbed a long oval stone and hoisted it onto his shoulder.  He was ready to appease his hate by crushing someone.


    The yellow-eyed man, whose knees were buckling from fear, desperately tossed a rune at the egotist.  It lobbed toward him, but not fast enough.


    Vaughn pivoted on his left foot.  The massive stone resting on his shoulder hit the rune, sending the small rock flying.  The weight continued to pull on the egotist, and he entered an elegant spin to balance himself.


    The stone rune banged into a nearby shack.  Flashes sparked as a different rune appeared on the wall and held the stone in place.  In protest, the small object bounced back.


    The nearby disciples gasped in fear.  Diving desperately to the floor, they cursed at the lanky man through clenched teeth.


    The stone flashed and its rune expanded into a sphere of about five meters in diameter.  The pulse displaced enough air to push me back a bit, but those who were closer to the rune suffered greatly.


    They were hit by the expanding force and flung away.


    Some disciples crashed into the nearby shacks that were protected by enchantment runes.  Their bones snapped sharply and their skulls cracked.  Blood smeared the walls as the robed figures slid limply to the ground, never to breathe again.  With a flash from the enchantment runes, the blood vanished.


    Some unlucky disciples, including the lanky man, skidded against the rough floor.  Their skin was scraped off, and their bodies twisted into strange shapes.  Bones peeked through their flesh.  They left behind a light trail of blood on the cracked road.


    The gruesome sight caused all the surviving disciples to glare viciously at Vaughn.  Their hate bore down on him, but the egotist was unaffected.


    He gracefully completed his elegant spin.  In total he spun four times before stopping.  He let out a hearty laugh, but light tears formed in the corner of his eyes.  His killing intent vanished, but he tried his best to hold onto his composure.


    ¡°All of you are dead meat,¡± he said, blinking away his tears.  His eyes dulled, and he looked as worn out as someone who had lived a thousand years.


    ¡°This is interesting,¡± said a bored voice.


    I jerked my head to the left.


    The green-robed Novice was standing next to me, nibbling on a blue carrot while his muddy-colored rune floated gently around his body.


    We were so close that his soul rune brushed against my shoulder.  The touch felt as cold as death despite the sleeve covering my skin.


    ¡°You should run back into your one-room house,¡± he said nonchalantly.  ¡°The Hail Faction is coming.¡±


    As he turned away, a stroke unknowingly brushed against my leg.  It froze me in place, stopping me from responding to the Novice.  That single strand, which was so translucent that it was nearly impossible to see, had felt boundlessly warm.


    My inner soul pulsed.


    Unaware of my shocked state, the Novice walked away in gentle strides.


    What was that?


    ¡°RUBY INSECTS!¡±  A booming voice shook the buildings and bore into our minds.  The great force held us still; even Vaughn crumpled under its will.  Dropping the large stone, he fell to his knees.  No one uttered a peep.


    A pair of lofty footsteps broke the silence.

 Chapter 10: The Hail Faction

    Chapter 10: The Hail Faction


    A blue haired man calmly yet powerfully strode forward.  His expensive shoes clacked against the floor while his azure robe draped down his shoulders like a cape.  Looking at Vaughn with his pale blue eyes, the man stroked his clipped beard while thinking to himself.


    He must have found the ashen-faced egotist curiously attractive and strange.


    As if finding his answer, the man''s skin began to glisten like small crystals under the sun.  From his hand, ripples emanated into the surrounding area.


    The atmosphere quickly grew frigid while mist coalesced into the air.  At first the mist swiveled around the man, but then it slowly entered the hems of his blue robe.


    His robe''s emblem, which was that of an unassuming white frog, glimmered softly in the mist, revealing the frog''s hidden grandeur.  Although I was far from the man, the emblem''s image bore itself into my mind.  Its poise was regal and wise while its misty-blue eyes were as celestial as the full moon.


    Unlike the cow emblem which screamed of tyranny and ruthlessness, the frog exuded an air of tranquility and wisdom.


    I think the Novice had a black silhouette on his robe... it was almost unnoticeable, like a shadow in the darkness.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± the man said, eying the shivering egotist.  He spoke to no one as though speaking to others would be an insult to himself.  ¡°His robe is missing the rune to identify his strength, but he is definitely a Novice.  He might prove useful to us.¡±


    The Adept raised his hand.


    One of the two heavily robed Novices walked forward.  I had barely noticed them, as the Adept''s bearing had commanded my attention.


    ¡°Yes, Adept Ulric?¡± said the person who walked forward.  He sounded very pedantic in his speech, but he had a Gnudeerian accent.  His build was neither short nor tall, nor thick nor thin.  Other than his red hair, he had no defining features.  His face was very forgettable.


    ¡°Novice Leo, deal with the purple haired boy.¡±  The Adept''s eyes did not turn to meet the Novice''s.  He waved his sleeve through the air.  ¡°You two, gather up the Apprentices.  If they haven''t broken through to the first star, leave them be.  With this boy, we don''t need to search for another Novice.  We will carry out our original plans.¡±


    Novice Leo jumped onto the pile of stones, grabbed onto Vaughn''s wrist, and snapped a collar onto his neck.


    ¡°Hey!¡± the egotist struggled, pulling away from the man''s grasp.  He bared his teeth at the man, but they looked too pretty and clean to be threatening.


    The man smirked and waved his hand.  A rune shone on the collar, but to his surprise, the light quickly faded from a white color to a pitch black.  The collar shattered into many small fragments.


    Vaughn smirked back at him with just as much mockery.


    ¡°A worthless black core,¡± the man said calmly, but his eyes seemed to have flickered for a moment.  He reached forward to grab the egotist.  Midway, he suddenly stopped and desperately pulled back his hand.


    A gigantic rune flashed across the floor, and fifteen metal spears shot from the earth around Vaughn with lightning speed.  They were slanted inwardly and met each other at the top, forming a cone-shaped cage.


    Realizing what just happened, Vaughn''s eyes went red with fury.  He clenched his teeth, and without thinking, he punched one of the spears.  The pain he felt was written all over his face, but he hid it the best he could by haughtily sticking out his tongue.  Gripping his own knuckles, the egotist diverted all his hate towards Novice Leo.


    I was reminded once again about this egotist''s childish behavior.  It had no limits.


    ¡°I have it handled, sire,¡± said the other green-robed man.  He looked non-threatening and wore a gentle smile on his round face.  With one hand held over his chest, he bowed to the Adept.  Meanwhile, his eyes swept over Novice Leo.


    Novice Leo returned a glare, inciting the bowing man.  The smile on the man''s round face grew larger and his eyes colder.  With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his soul rune and activated it.  Small green speckles were released from his fingertips, and they sank into the floor like melting snow.


    The ground viciously rumbled as more spears burst from the earth.  They pierced into the blue sky, trapping each Apprentice in a cage.


    Fifteen spears appeared around me.  They blocked any means of escape and were so cold that they absorbed the nearby heat.  They released a frigid mist that pierced into my bones like sharp needles.  I moved my shivering arms closer to my chest.  At least the cold dulled the pain of my broken arm.


    ¡°What do you plan to do with us?¡± I asked with chattering teeth.


    ¡°Kaiden?¡±  Vaughn looked my way.


    Now he notices me?


    With a smile, the egotist breathed a sigh of relief, which was noticed by Novice Leo.  He raised a brow at the boy.


    Adept Ulric did not bat an eye.  He looked at the man who had bowed to him.


    ¡°Novice Enoch, further decrease the temperature.  That one seems to be a chatter box.¡±


    Novice Enoch respectfully nodded.  He lifted his right hand, pointed his index finger at me, and inscribed a rune into the air.  The white symbol was complicated and too far away for me to read.


    At completion, the rune flashed and grew to the size of about a meter in diameter.  The dust on the ground stirred as a frigid gale traveled my way.


    When it touched the metal spears, the already freezing bars became encased in ice.  The cold, far greater than the mist, seeped into my skin, turning it blue.  Frost formed on my white robe, and it sparkled in the light.  I lost all feeling in my limbs.


    I gulped, panicked that I might completely freeze.


    Am I going to turn into an ice sculpture?


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± said Novice Enoch.  He brought his hand down, dissolving the cold gale wind.


    Warmth quickly returned to my body, and I wiggled my fingers in relief.


    I would be stupid not to realize that these three men were part of the Hail Faction.  Their runes contained the essence of ice, and their attacks were filled with a frigid cold.


    The Adept spoke, ¡°Thirty Apprentices in total plus a Novice to fill in for our fifth person.  That should be enough fodder for the Legacy Trial.  Bring them to the wagons.  We''ll make our departure now, and we should be back within two months time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire.¡±


    Novice Enoch orderly dispelled his metal spears, and Novice Leo put collars on all of us except for Vaughn.  For him, he held onto my upper arm with great force and dragged me to the boy.


    ¡°No funny business or your friend turns into a block of ice,¡± he said in Gnudeerian.


    ¡°Let him go.¡±  The egotist glared.  His words were so compelling and enchanting that anyone who heard them would falter and obey.  The Novice unconsciously loosened his grip, but then squeezed harder when he snapped from the trance.


    ¡°Didn''t I say no funny business?¡± Novice Leo said.  He gripped my right wrist and activated his soul rune.


    I tried to pull away, but his rune''s misty-colored strokes covered my skin, freezing my hand into a translucent ice crystal.


    ¡°No! Stop it!¡± Vaughn said.  His face paled, and he looked away in defeat.  His head lowered.  ¡°Fine.  I''ll do what you say.¡±


    The man released me, but the rune did not disappear.  It continued to slink across my skin.  It would eventually make itself up my arm and slowly transform it into ice.


    ¡°That''s a good boy,¡± said Novice Leo.


    Vaughn scowled and gave him an ugly glare.


    Without hesitation, the man grabbed onto my left arm, the broken one.  Even though it was covered by my long white sleeves, he knew the injury''s location.  He savagely dug his thumb into the fracture.


    I yelled out in pain; Vaughn''s face to darkened.


    ¡°Novice Leo, don''t keep Adept Ulric waiting,¡± Novice Enoch called.  He made his voice loud enough for the blue-robed Adept to hear.  ¡°Stop playing around.  Put them in the wagon.¡±


    Novice Leo did not dignify him with a response.  He ushered us forward with a stern voice that revealed his annoyance for the other Novice.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± he said as he pushed our backs.


    Provoked, Vaughn could not keep his mouth shut.  ¡°You hurry up.¡±


    Snap!


    Eyes burning with rage, the Novice severely twisted my arm.  I cried out in pain and cursed beneath my breath.


    This egotist is going to be the end of me!


    I could not tell what was worse: the pain from my broken arm or the pain from slowly being frozen.  Both were caused because of Vaughn.


    This must be what it means to have a sibling put you through hell.


    In a strange way, it made me happy to fully experience the pain of having a younger brother.


    ¡°Get in.¡±  Novice Leo shoved me into a caged wagon that had appeared earlier.  It was large with thick black bars, and its wooden floor was covered in old hay.  A dozen other people were already inside the cage.


    The Novice signaled Vaughn to enter.


    The egotist stepped in, but he was not willing to let himself be looked down upon.  He puffed his chest out like a peacock and made some strange slurping sounds.  Before I knew it, he had spat at the Novice''s face.


    My face paled, and I really wished he would stop with his taunts.


    ¡°You''re going to regret that,¡± Novice Leo said through clenched teeth.  The slobber dripped down his cheek, but was soon wiped away by the man''s sleeve.  He slammed the cage''s door shut and angrily locked it with a key that he then dangled in front of the egotist.


    ¡°You''re going to regret it,¡± Vaughn said.  His eyes were burning with rage.


    A cruel smile formed on the Novice''s lips.  He flicked his sleeve.


    The collar around my neck lit up with a brightly glowing enchantment rune.  It injected something that did not seem corporeal into my body.  The strange substance washed through me and pulled at my inner soul.


    ¡°Behave and sit,¡± the man said.


    I instantly plopped to the floor.  Then, as though I was naturally controlling it, my body moved into a seated position.   My legs were crossed, and my hands had placed themselves on my lap.


    After a moment''s breath, the collar flickered twice and began to fade.  I felt its power weaken, so I wiggled my arms.  It seemed to strain the endurance of the rune; I tried moving my legs.  There was resistance at first, but then I felt something churning within my stomach.


    The rune shattered, and the collar crumbled into fine dust.  I glimpsed some white strands wreathing around my neck.


    In my moment of confusion, the egotist snorted as though he had expected this result.  He held his chin high, mocking the Novice.


    The man was frozen still.  Only after a few seconds did he finally respond.  His limbs began to shake and his pupils constricted.


    ¡°A pure white core,¡± he said.  He mumbled something that sounded like an old saying; his voice was thin but shaky...


    ¡°The True Purities.  One marks an omen.  Two heralds war.  Three foretells the apocalypse.¡±


    Novice Leo''s eyes were filled with a profound fear.  At any moment his trembling legs would collapse beneath him.  His forgettable face now looked as pale as a ghost''s.


    The Novice somehow mustered the courage to finally move.  As though his life depended on it, he fled towards the Adept.


    A protruding stone, which was left from one of Novice Enoch''s spears, tripped him.  He fell to the floor and his green robe ripped.  Ignoring his disheveled appearance, he scrambled to his feet.  With hurried footsteps, he continued to make his way to the other wagon.


    The Novice tripped for a second time.


    Vaughn chortled at the superstitious man.  He placed his face against the wagon''s black bars, hoping to see the man trip for a third time.


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    I peered over his shoulder.  Novice Leo had safely arrived at the other wagon, but I could not get a clear view of the Hail Faction''s three members.


    Pushing my head closer to the bars, I glimpsed a fourth person.  He was wearing white and standing beside Novice Enoch.  The person''s chin was held high and his eyes were cast downward.  He looked extremely funny, especially because he was significantly shorter than the others.  With rosy cheeks and a baby-faced complexion, he was at most fourteen years of age.


    Someone patted the boy''s blue hair, and his chin raised even more.  I was surprised his neck did not ache.


    The egotist suddenly sniffled into my ear.  I jerked and almost bumped into his head.


    His violet eyes were large and moist, and I could feel his breath against my skin.  He looked nothing like a prince or princess, not even an egotist.


    ¡°I''m so glad you''re fine.¡±  His arms wrapped around me in an aggressive hug.  It squeezed my broken arm, threatening to fracture it more.  The boy buried his nose into my collar.


    His soft warmth and affection made me blush.  Before I knew it, I rubbed my cheek against his short hair.  I hoped that he was bisexual and also liked men.


    What am I thinking!  Even if he does, he won''t have a reason to like me, and he is my little brother!


    The willpower that I had unknowingly mustered to endure the crushing of my broken arm vanished.


    ¡°Careful,¡± I moaned in pain.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±  Vaughn pulled away, face flushed red with guilt.  He hurriedly grabbed my wrist without thinking and shoved back my sleeve.


    His face scrunched up into a grimace; the injury was purple, and the arm was twisted into an odd shape.  The sight thoroughly repulsed him.  Slowly moving his hand, he jabbed the location where the bone had snapped.  He knew no meaning of ¡°gentle.¡±


    ¡°I recommend biting your robe,¡± he said, poking the arm again.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, but he hastily secured my arm against his leg.  His left hand held it firm.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Vaughn did not wait for my response.  He savagely pushed against the broken arm; it snapped into place.  A searing pain jolted through my body.


    ¡°That''s not how you do it!¡± I said, aghast at his methods.


    ¡°Stop being such a baby.  Anyone else would be glad if I was the one to help them.¡±  He placed his index finger against my bruised skin and scribbled the rune for ¡°Mend.¡±  He cast it a couple of times before admiring his ¡°job well done¡± by incessantly pinching my skin.


    Ignoring his antics, I wiggled my fingers and was relieved that I could bend them normally.  Even the bruises were gone and so was the searing pain.  My arm was back to how it once was...or was it?


    I pulled my arm from Vaughn''s pinching grasp and stretched it out until it was pointing directly forward.  I slowly twisted my forearm.  There was a slight abnormality that caused the arm to be a little bent.


    ¡°I don''t think it healed correctly,¡± I said.


    Vaughn gave it a single glance.


    ¡°Nobody can tell unless you point it out,¡± he said with a humph.  ¡°But, if it really bothers you, I can break it again.  This time I''ll make sure it heals the way you want.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± I said, quickly pulling away from the vicious boy.


    He smiled in triumph.


    You!  A little more care would be great.


    Out of nowhere, he yawned and laid his upper body across my lap.  He grabbed my left sleeve and, covering his neck and face, used it to keep himself warm.


    His random actions thoroughly surprised me.


    ¡°How is your right hand?¡± he asked with a muffled voice.


    ¡°It still hurts a bit but the cold has dulled my nerves.  As long as I don''t move it, it feels fine.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.  Would you like me to chop it off?  We need to remove the whole limb if you choose to do so.  If you keep it, you will eventually freeze, but that Novice and a few others should be able to dispel it before that happens.  It was just a soul rune of the Ice Curse variety.¡±


    I sighed.  ¡°I''ll try to see if I can do something about it first.¡±


    ¡°Don''t!¡± Vaughn tugged at my sleeve, squeezing it with clenched fists.  His tightly balled hands became a pale white.  ¡°Don''t do what you did before to open the palace door.  That crimson rune...don''t ever cast it again.¡±


    Almost imperceptibly, he sniffled.  I wished that I could see his face.


    He said, ¡°You almost died last time, so promise me you won''t ever cast it again.¡±


    Sheesh, I only fainted.


    ¡°I promise.  I won''t do it, and I will not abandon you.  I''ll become stronger to help you enact revenge.¡± Faintly smiling, I rubbed his head with my good hand.  ¡°You''re my little brother after all.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±  He smacked my leg and pushed away my hand, revealing an angry frown.  ¡°Who said I was your little brother?!  I''m older and more mature than you!¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± I laughed.  His expression was so adorable that I could not resist myself.  My left arm wrapped around his body, and my hand, which was placed over his breast, pulled him closer to my chest.


    I felt nothing below my palm, but he squirmed and yanked my sleeve.  He used it to both move my hand and hide his face.


    ¡°You''re evil,¡± Vaughn said.


    ¡°Why would that be?  Because I laughed?¡±   I poked his forehead.


    He growled at me.


    The wooden wheels suddenly screeched; I shifted forward.


    ¡°We''re finally moving,¡± I said, looking to the front, but the seats were empty.  No one was guiding the two magical beasts pulling the wagon.  They looked just like the mount that Matriarch Ruby rode, but significantly smaller.  ¡°There''s no driver for the cows.¡±


    ¡°You mean the Titan Bulls?¡± he said beneath my sleeve.  ¡°You can''t tell if anything is male or female.¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡±  With a faint, wry smile I leaned over Vaughn.


    I felt him fidget, but then he became deathly still.  He did not dare to make a sound.


    Did I go too far?


    After giving him a small squeeze, I sat up to give the cross-dressing girl more room.  He continued to lay silently in my lap.


    The other people in the wagon were just as silent.  They wore blank faces, but their eyes darted around in fear.  A few gazes locked onto me and Vaughn, and they seemed strangely jealous.


    One man looked familiar; he was tall and young with a slightly trembling body, but I could not recall where I had seen him.


    ¡°These people are pretty quiet,¡± I said.


    ¡°It''s because of the Slave Collars.  They are a type of enchantment rune,¡± Vaughn said.  ¡°They are very difficult to break unless you are stronger than the controller or have a white, black, or cursed core.¡±


    ¡°So if I did not have a white core...¡±


    ¡°You would still be trapped and unable to move your body.  You will be waiting for your next command like this bunch.¡±


    ¡°That''s horrible,¡± I said.  ¡°Should we free them?  The Adept and Novices are with the other wagon.¡±


    ¡°Free them?¡±  Vaughn snorted.  ¡°Some of them blew up our shack, and now you want to let them finish the job and kill you?¡±


    ¡°You have a point, but they look so pitiful.¡±  My brows wrinkled.


    ¡°That''s why I didn''t seek revenge.¡±  He nuzzled his face against my leg.  ¡°It''s good enough punishment for them.  Let them be miserable.¡±


    ¡°That''s¡ªkinda mean,¡± I said.


    ¡°They chose this life for themselves.  Slave Collars are illegal to use on mortals, and so is the wanton slaying of mortals by Runists.  By seeking out power, one must accept all consequences for becoming a Runist.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It''s all common knowledge in this world.¡±  Vaughn stuck out his head from under my sleeve.  The lack of oxygen had made his face red.  He gulped in a breath of fresh air.  Hugging my arm, he continued.


    ¡°Mortals, regular people, non-Runists, the mundane... They are all terms used to describe the class of people who have not reached the 1-Star Apprentice rank.  Through the agreement of all sects, schools, kingdoms, and guilds, it is illegal to harm them in mass quantity.  This also includes hurting them through the use of Slave Collars, Mind Runes, Plagues, and Curses.


    ¡°No one knows who originally created this rule, and it has been in existence for as long as anyone can remember.  It''s known as the Golden Rule, but people still break it from time to time.  There are some exceptions, such as kidnapping mortals to join your group.¡±


    ¡°That''s funny,¡± I said.  ¡°In my world, the Golden Rule was, ''Treat others how you would like to be treated.''¡±


    Vaughn''s ears perked up.  ¡°That''s unexpected coming from you.  So if someone stabs you, it''s fine to stab them back?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± I said.  How did he come up with that?!


    He pouted and retracted his head a bit.


    ¡°We have another common saying.¡± I rubbed his short hair, causing him to squirm.  ¡°It''s called ''forgive and forget.''  When someone hurts you, forgive them right away and even forget that they had hurt you in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Kaiden.¡± Vaughn peeked at me from behind my sleeve.  His violet eyes met mine.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    He stuck out his tongue.  ¡°Your mind is corrupted with shameless hogwash.¡±


    ¡°More like I''m a nice guy.¡±  I smiled at his immature antics.


    ¡°More like soon-to-be dead meat.¡± He pulled my sleeve to cover the lower half of his face.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±  I patted his head.  ¡°You''ll like this saying, ''Revenge is a dish best served cold.''¡±


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± the boy asked.  His eyes were on the verge of sparkling.


    ¡°Just as it sounds: revenge is more satisfying long after the initial grievance.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± he asked.  His voice turned somber.  ¡°It''s been seven years since my mother died.¡±


    I squeezed his nose through the sleeve, meaning to lighten the mood.  He pushed away my hand, so I decided to give him some space.


    Thinking about my own parents, I gazed into the sky.


    The sun sank slowly into the west.  Its rays, as if to show the world a dying smile, painted the sky in a wonderful river of pink and gold.  Overflowing with emotion, the colors spread across the horizon, meaning to hug the land for one last time.  The nearby clouds, bathing in this last shred of happiness, watched on quietly as the azure sky dimmed.


    The sun disappeared beneath the earth.  With no light, the sky gave in to an ominous violet and allowed the world to be swallowed in darkness.  An eerie coldness threatened to tear apart the souls of all living creatures, but the stars soon flickered.


    They shone with valor as they brought hope back to the somber lands.  They blanketed the earth and promised to protect the sky until the sun returned.  Under their light, the night turned as smooth as silk and as calm as the deep sea.


    ¡°It''s so beautiful,¡± I said, still gazing at the stars in the sky.  They reminded me of the ones within my inner soul.  They would flicker and make me feel as though they desired to tell me something.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Vaughn replied with a dreamy sigh.  ¡°On nights like these, my mother used to tell me stories.  She was one of those weird people who said it was the wish of the stars.¡±


    My eyes widened.  So I''m not the only one who feels that way about the stars!


    He continued.


    ¡°I don''t believe in this tale, but that sadistic Novice does.  It''s a myth that has been passed down from generation to generation.  It has something to do with the superstition concerning the so-called True Purities.  The True Purities is just a name for the three extremes among the special cores: pure white, pitch black, and true cursed.  The story itself is called The Birth of the Crystal Mountains.¡±

 Chapter 11: The Sealing of the Eighth Soul

    Chapter 11: The Sealing of the Eighth Soul


    As Vaughn spoke to me, his eyes met mine, and their violet color swirled within my mind.  I felt my body become light and unimpeded by the world.  His voice reached my ears, but he sounded unlike himself.  It seemed too otherworldly.


    Within his pupils, something flickered like a star.


    ~~~~~


    Once upon a time, an elderly man stood in the middle of a plain.  His dark, wrinkled skin contrasted greatly with his flowing silver hair.  A regal, black scarf was wrapped around his eyes, and he allowed the ends of the cloth to drape against his back in the manner of a cape.  It violently flapped behind him in the blistering wind, but the man''s blood-soaked robe stood still as if time did not flow.


    Around him, the plain stretched out for ten thousand kilometers like a soft green sea.  The ground was abound with life, and vast quantities of magical essence seeped into the air.  It gave life and energy to all creatures living within the plain.


    Near the man, the grass bowed low, the insects did not chirp, and no cloud dared to cast a shadow.  In their silence, they revered the old man.


    The sun hung brightly in the sky, but the man held a burning lantern.  The black flame flickered, and a face appeared.  The soul was in agony, crying to be free from its confines.


    It let out a horrid yell and a foul stench, but the man could sense neither.


    He tapped the rusty lantern, and a thin string of darkness funneled from the soul, like sand slipping through one''s fingers.


    The grass withered, turning and twisting into black weeds.  The magical essence died away, and the dark energy sank slowly into the dirt.  With a heave, it desperately rose and reached out to the flame.


    The man pushed the tip of his cane, a thin silver sword with orange runes, into the ground.  It let out a soft whirl of wind and made the bulging darkness lay flat.


    The black flame wailed louder and pushed against its prison.  The darkness stirred, but the sword held it still.  No matter how rampant the flame became, it could not prevent itself from being sealed within the earth.


    The man''s lips parted, but there was no voice.  A rune, imbued with a holy power, materialized from his breath.  It emanated a domineering aura that could smolder any curse.


    The flame went silent, not daring to move.  It trembled as the symbol slowly approached the rusty lantern.  Soon it was upon it, ready to shackle the dark soul for an eternity.


    Swoosh!


    A black dagger sliced through the rune, dispersing it as though it was nothing.  The man slowly turned his head to the west.


    ¡°Guardian of Garic, let my husband go!¡± a voice yelled.


    A woman, gowned in a black flowing dress, floated in the sky.  Black tattoos covered her snowy white skin and framed her gray eyes.  Unsuitable for her delicate beauty, she wore a ferocious frown and strained her jaw as she clenched her teeth.  Her hair whipped savagely behind her.


    A few meters to the left was a man-shaped demon.  It had pale-blue skin, pointy ears, and a long sharp tail.  With a single swipe, it could pierce through steel.  Garbed in a fancy black robe accentuated with blue silk, the demon waited for the woman''s orders.  In respect for its master, it held its hands behind its back.


    The elderly man released some spiritual energy into the air.  It coiled around his body, forming a message through the use of faint, non-magical runes.


    The woman''s face turned unsightly as anger welled inside her.


    ¡°You dare to say that you''ll imprison us both! How audacious! We were chosen to free the rightful ruler of this world!  He has been sealed for countless years, but soon he will bathe this world in flame and purify the land.  You who go against his will shall have your soul obliterated!¡±


    The woman extended her hand towards the demon.  Her red nails itched for the elderly man''s blood.


    The demon swiftly held out its arms as it bowed.  A long, black blade appeared above its upturned hands.


    The woman grabbed the sword, her slender fingers wrapping around its hilt.  A multitude of orange enchantment runes burst from its blade.  They emitted a deathly aura, unlike the holy essence released by the man.


    The woman''s power exploded forth, rippling the land far beneath her.  She cried out, ¡°You can''t see, hear, smell, touch, or taste anything of this world!  Let''s see how you sense your death!¡±


    The woman flew forward, and the demon followed behind her as a gray shadow.  She swung her sword at the man''s chest, but he swiftly moved his blade to block it.


    The demon appeared behind him.  It extended its claws to strike at the man.


    The scarf, which covered his eyes, snapped alive and wrapped around the demon''s wrist.  Its underside was covered in a purple rune that began to glow.  It leeched at the attacker''s soul, devouring half of it in an instant.


    Without hesitation the demon severed its own arm and pulled away from the scarf.  There was deep fear within its eyes.


    Clang!


    The woman''s sword clashed with the man''s.  Using the momentum of the blow, the woman circled her blade beneath the silver sword to strike at the man''s stomach.


    He opened his mouth and formed a rune from his breath.  It expanded like lighting, blocking the sword strike.  It then slammed into the woman and pushed her five meters back.


    The demon, who was crouching to avoid the man''s scarf, soon found itself being blown away by the rune.  Its right leg, which had been throwing a kick, took the brunt of the force and broke.   As the demon soared backwards, it curled its body and rolled across the ground to soften its landing.


    After thirty meters, the demon stood upright on its left leg.  It let out a shrill shriek, and its arm regrew while the broken bone snapped into place.  Not a scratch was left on the demon.


    The woman spat out a mouthful of blood, but so did the old man who had cast the rune.


    Her eyes narrowed.  ¡°You bled?  You are at the end of your life.  I''m far weaker than my husband, but I''m more than enough to handle you.¡±


    She raised her blade in front of her chest.


    More faint runes formed around the man to create a message.  He lightly tapped the lantern, causing the dark energy to increase the speed in which it funneled to the earth.


    The energy entered the land with greater intensity, disintegrating what was left of the grass and turning the area completely barren.  The black dirt hardened and cracked, its fertility completely gone.


    ¡°You say I can''t?!¡±  The woman scowled.  She grabbed the bracelet around her wrist and pulled it until it snapped.


    Five beads slid off the broken chain.  They grew larger and swirled around the woman''s body.  The stones lit up, resonating with her spiritual energy.  The tattoo on her body writhed and glowed with a red color.  Her strength, speed, agility, toughness, and energy increased.


    A portion of the tattoo peeled off her hand and touched the hilt of her black sword.  Its legendary runes activated, glimmering in a bright orange color that was soon shrouded by a murky, poisonous mist.


    The woman readied herself.


    The elderly man pointed his sword at the black ground and released his grip.  The thin blade fell so majestically like a single raindrop falling slowly to the earth.  The orange legendary runes lit up, and the sword disappeared into the ground.  Within the blink of an eye, it sank more than seventeen kilometers.


    The woman launched herself at the unarmed man.  Again she slashed at his chest.


    He met the sword with the lantern in his hand.  A clang sounded, and the soul screeched.  A large ball of darkness shot from the black flame to the base of the lantern.  It sunk quickly into the dirt.


    The woman frowned, and she distanced herself from the man.  Her attack had just sped up the sealing process.


    ¡°Damn you,¡± she said through clenched teeth.


    The poisonous mist around her sword swelled.  Again, she charged.  Before she swung, she threw her sword.  The demon immediately appeared above the man''s head.


    Its claw-like fingers wrapped around the sword''s hilt.  With empty hands, the woman grabbed at the swinging lantern.  The demon slashed downwards.


    The man swiftly pulled the black flame close to his body and, at the last moment, shifted his head to the right.  The blade dug into his shoulder, and the rune''s poison forced its way into his wound.  His blood splashed towards the ground.


    The woman stepped closer to throw a punch.  She aimed for the man''s head.


    He let it connect, and her knuckles crushed his nose.  His head whipped back.


    The scarf grabbed the sword in the demon''s hand, but the demon reacted quickly.  It released the blade, nimbly kicked off its hilt, and launched itself into the air when the scarf was a hair''s breadth from grabbing its leg.


    Soaring through the air, the demon looked down, and its eyes widened.  The man faintly smiled.


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    His splattered blood touched the ground.


    His lips parted, and a deep, reverberating sound blasted through the area.  The ground quaked violently like ocean waves during a storm.


    The two attackers gripped their heads in an effort to remain conscious.  They felt their chests clench and beat to the rhythm of the reverberations while their bodies trembled.  Their souls shook, viciously threatening to collapse and separate from their soul runes.


    As the woman fell to her knees, she made one last frantic grab at the lantern, unaware of what was occurring beneath her feet.


    Spurred by the man''s blood and controlled by his buried sword, the dark energy within the ground twisted and coiled like a dying snake.  It formed elaborate patterns of curls, twists, and slashes; some of it lashed into the air.


    The resulting rune, if not for the dark energy from the black flame, would have been orange.  Instead, it was as pitch-black as an endless void, waiting to cover the lands in a scripture of forgotten words.


    As it activated, the rune absorbed the surrounding light and color.  The land turned endlessly black, and so did the sky.  Within the lantern, the last of the soul funneled to the ground and began its descent to the sword that was now deep within the earth.


    The woman''s fingers touched the lantern''s glass, but it was already empty.


    The container clasped onto her tattoo and tugged at her soul.  It tore it, along with its soul rune, from her body.  She yelled in pain as the severing ripped her apart.  The thousands of years she had used to strengthen and fuse the three together¡ªbody, soul, and rune¡ªwere undone within a fraction of a second.


    Her hair turned white, her lush lips withered, and her skin shriveled.  Within moments her body became dust and blew away in the wind.


    A new flame flickered within the lantern.  It ruthlessly struggled to escape, thrashing against its rusty container.


    ¡°Curse you!  All...of...you........will..............die...................¡±  The wailing soul''s voice faded, falling into a forceful slumber.


    Beneath the earth, the sword absorbed the previous soul that was in the lantern.  Its orange enchantment runes released the spiritual energy that was used to forge its metal.  The energy controlled and fueled the black rune, causing the rune to expand across the whole plains.


    The last of the magical essence that once boundlessly covered the plains completely vanished like a flickering flame snuffed out by a single breath.


    A barrier, invisible yet domineering, encircled the plains.  It suppressed everything within the area, preventing anything from being powerful enough to break the seal.


    The man coughed up another mouthful of blood.  Before the woman appeared, he had fought long and hard to seal her eight companions into different lanterns.  The other Guardians of Garic had already imprisoned the other seven souls within the earth.  The woman''s husband would be the last.


    The cost for sealing a soul into the ground was the caster''s life and soul rune.


    The elderly man lifted the lantern towards the demon struggling to restore its internal organs.  The reverberating rune had wrecked its body.


    It was surprising that the demon was still alive, but the elderly man, with his sixth and only sense, knew that the actual demon was already long dead.  It was only a powerful corpse that a malevolent spirit possessed through the help of the woman''s soul rune.  Its body could be diced into a million pieces, but the corpse''s soul rune, under the control of the spirit, could restore it.


    It was a tenacious creature with a nearly indestructible body.  One needed to directly slay its soul, that was why it had feared the man''s scarf.  If it had a will of its own, it would have fled as soon as it had touched the scarf for the first time.


    The woman could exert complete control over the demon, and the moment that the man sensed the woman, he sensed the power of her soul rune.  It could seal spirits into soulless objects and allow them to control one rune within it.  It could have been a stone rune, an enchantment rune, or even a magic rune, but because it was a corpse, mostly likely newly dead, the spirit had stolen the soul rune.


    It was forbidden.  Nothing was more sacred than the soul rune.  It was the very name and existence that Nature gave its many children.


    Using the bond between the woman and the spirit, the lantern yanked at the soul.


    The demon gripped its head, and an image of a spirit overlapped with its face.  Howling, it twisted in pain and revealed a pair of yellow eyes.  They were filled with endless killing intent.


    The spirit charged from its body.


    Slamming into the man, its savage aura made him stumble a footstep.


    The last of his longevity was stolen, but the man did not care.  He was about to sacrifice his life to keep the world safe.  He had to prevent the most dangerous being from resurrecting, and these eight souls, not including the woman and spirit, were the key to its resurrection.


    Coughing up blood, the dying man raised the lantern above his head.  It exerted more force over the spirit, pulling it towards the cage.


    The spirit let out a shrill cry as it tried to get away.  It pushed against the suction and created ripples within the air, but its struggle only increased the lantern''s strength.


    Soon, the soul was swallowed, forming a second, small flame.  The demon''s corpse disintegrated into a heap of pale-blue dust.


    The man collapsed to his knees, dropping the lantern with a clank.  He gasped for air as he retched out blood.


    Beneath the earth''s surface, the black rune slowly twisted around the silver sword.  It formed an enchantment rune as it became a black sphere of tightly weaved strands.  It separated the weapon from the earth, completely sealing the soul absorbed by the sword.


    The seal would last for hundreds of thousands of years.


    The man''s lips parted in a dying smile.  His mouth was an eternal gate, and his soul rune slowly floated through his throat and spilled over his lips.  The strands sank gently into the ground, returning some life and fertility to the dead lands.


    As the fusion of his body, soul, and rune unraveled, his soul rune stretched towards the sealed sphere.  It was filled with hope, and when it touched the sphere, the golden threads fused with it.  The black rune began to transform into a golden one.  Soon the seal would be completed.


    The man''s life began to fade, but because he had lost his soul rune, he no longer had an identity.  Many people began to forget him as though he had never been born.  Maybe a few would remember his presence, but he himself would be erased from their memories.


    The man smiled.


    As they forgot, he remembered.


    The faces of the seven other Guardians returned to him.  He recalled their names, the laughter they had shared, the promises, the sorrow, the hope...


    Nothing could separate them, but then they had forgotten each other, one by one as they lost their soul runes.


    He suddenly remembered an eighth person.  That person was a true hero, who had brought them together.  He had never shirked in the face of danger nor abandoned his comrades.  Like a brilliant star, he vanquished his foes, but he was wholly human.


    He made mistakes, laughed the loudest, caused the most trouble, and was the epitome of childishness.


    Together the nine had made the world how it was, and together they had made a promise:


    ¡°When the world no longer needs us, or when we longer need the world, we will cast aside our soul runes and return to Nature!¡±


    ¡°It''s a promise,¡± the dying man mouthed to himself.


    Caaawwww!


    A coal-black bird pierced through the skies.  Smoke wisped into the air as the bird struggled to maintain its power.


    The barrier surrounding the plains exerted more pressure to suppress the bird''s strength.  Its feathers shook and quivered, but its eyes stayed firm.  With red irises that glowed brightly, the crow released a burst of deathly aura and shook the lands with another cry.


    It flapped its wings.  The bird whistled through the air, aiming for the dying man''s throat.


    The man willed his soul rune to fuse faster with the seal.  If the bird killed him before it was completed, the seal would weaken and allow outside forces to forcefully break it open.  As long as it was completed, nothing should be able to destroy it for hundreds of thousands of years.


    The gap was quickly bridged; the bird was almost upon him.  It spread out its sharp talons.  They glinted in the light, ready to take the man''s life.


    Caaawwww!


    The crow cried, but it changed its aim, no longer willing to take his life.


    It filled the elderly man, a hero who had faced death a countless number of times, with a deep, profound fear.  His sixth sense told him it would cause the end of Garic.

 Chapter 12: Mocha

    Chapter 12: Mocha


    Something squeezed my nose.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± I mumbled, whacking it away.


    ¡°Wakey, wakey.¡±  It pulled my cheek with vigor.


    A person stared blankly at me with violet eyes.  He wore a light frown, but his delicate features, highlighted by the rising sun, still showed an endless beauty.  If his lips smiled, who knew how many hearts would stop.


    ¡°Kaiden, you can''t sleep forever,¡± Vaughn said.


    The memories of last night came back to me: the old man, the woman, the demon, and then the crow.  It had charged at the man, but then what?


    I could not recall.


    ¡°Did I fall asleep last night?¡± I yawned.


    Vaughn''s expression soured.  ¡°Yes you did.¡±


    I straightened my sore back, which had been leaning against the wagon''s black bars.  A bone popped.


    ¡°What happened next?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You mean the story I was telling you?¡± His face darkened.


    I nodded.


    He humphed.  ¡°Why should I tell you? You fell asleep.¡±


    The boy turned his body, obviously throwing a tantrum.  I was beginning to feel that his childishness knew no bounds.  No, I already felt it.


    ¡°I''m sorry for falling asleep.¡±


    ¡°You need to do better than that.¡±  Vaughn lifted his chin a bit; his flat chest puffed.  His egotism, too, knew no bounds.


    ¡°I am very sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The story was very interesting.  I would like to hear more of it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will become your servant and do whatever you tell me to do,¡± I said.  I was used to following orders and being bullied.  It had long since been engraved into me.  For all I knew, Vaughn already saw me as his slave.


    He beamed and his smile grew extremely large.  Creepy.


    ¡°Since you insist, I''ll let you be my servant,¡± he said smugly.  ¡°A giant crystal mountain was created by an old man.  It was made of pure magical essence and many creatures, magic beasts and humans set their greedy eyes on it.  There was a huge war, almost everyone died, and the mountain collapsed into many smaller mountains.  The ruins formed the Crystal Mountains.  The end.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be it.¡±  I shook my head.  ¡°It makes no sense and has nothing to do with the three special cores.¡±


    ¡°Sure it does.  In his boredom the old man tried to create life.  He succeeded and made three people with broken soul runes.  That was the beginning of the black, white, and cursed cores.  Those three people were hated by nature and the world, so misfortune constantly befell them.  Because of them, people looked greedily upon the old man''s mountain.


    ¡°After the war, the old man scribbled something about the coming of the Three Purities.  The message is in a cave at the very center of the Crystal Mountains.  That cave has become sacred as a reminder to never be greedy and is called The Heart of Haven.¡±


    ¡°What about the crow?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The crow...¡± he pondered, ¡°that is also an auspicious symbol of bad luck.  People in Hartebeest believe that it is an evil, vile creature.¡±


    ¡°Are you still angry that I fell asleep?¡± I raised a brow.


    He only smiled.  ¡°You are my lovely servant.  Why would I?  I am a good person.¡±


    ¡°For some reason, I don''t really believe you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s not my problem.¡±  He looked away.  ¡°Hurry up and train.  I need you to get stronger.  You are useless right now.¡±


    ¡°And I do that by?¡±


    ¡°Meditation.¡±


    ¡°Meditation?¡±  I was skeptical.  How could meditation make someone stronger?


    ¡°Spiritual energy fuels our strength and is used to cast runes.  It can be improved through meditation.¡±


    ¡°That seems too simple.¡±  My chin tilted.


    ¡°Trust me, it''s far harder than you think.  You need to control the energy, circulate it within your body, move it through your soul rune, taint it with your soul, and make it completely yours.  You need to meditate as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°How is that meditating? Meditating should be relaxing and stress free.¡±


    Vaughn shook his head at my ignorance.  ¡°Meditating is looking into your inner soul.  Once there, you train.¡±


    ¡°I guess I''ll just believe you then,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why are you still talking?  Hurry up and meditate!  Even I need to meditate and taint my soul.  I think having an element would be fun,¡± he said, leaving me in the dark about many things.


    ¡°Ice!¡± A figure landed on the caged wagon, shaking the bars and startling the people within.  It was the boy who had been raising his chin so high that he had looked extremely funny.  I raised my brows; he was far too jubilant to be the arrogant person I had expected him to be.


    ¡°You should taint it with ice! Ice is nice,¡± the boy said.


    Vaughn narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Wait just a second.¡±  The boy grinned as he lay on top the bars.  He pulled out a few stone runes from within his white robe and closely inspected them.  ¡°Let''s see... Ah, here it is!¡±


    He held up a red stone, and Vaughn''s glare intensified with murderous intent.


    Humming, the boy turned over the inside of his collar, which had three stone runes pinned to it.  One was glowing with a faint white light.  He gave it a small touch, making the light vanish, and his amber core disappeared along with it.


    Cutting his finger, he bound the red stone and pinned it where the other stone once was.  It glowed with a faint green light.


    Somewhat relieved, Vaughn mumbled beneath his breath, ¡°Rich snob.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you should be able to understand me.  No pretending that you don''t.  This is a Language Rune.¡± The boy smiled at Vaughn, inciting a glare.


    He said with a blush, ¡°You are very handsome, yet girly.  Don''t get me wrong, I''m not one of those strange people.  Nice haircut.  I like it.  It''s disheveled but stylish.¡±


    ¡°Strange people?¡± I asked.  Is he discriminating against gays?


    ¡°Yeah!¡± He nodded, still ignoring Vaughn''s glare.  If looks could kill, the boy would have died a million times over.  ¡°That''s why I came over here.  I''ve heard about guys who liked guys, but I didn''t think they existed.  Now I have met you two.  You guys are funny.¡±


    ¡°I''ll gut your throat.¡± Vaughn stood up angrily.  His teeth were clenched.


    ¡°Wait, slow down!¡± I said, trying to pacify Vaughn.  I looked up at the boy.  ¡°There is nothing wrong or strange about being gay.  It is perfectly normal.  A lot of people are.¡±


    ¡°Lots?¡± the boy asked, his head slightly tilting.


    Vaughn gave me a funny look.


    I shook my hands in defense.  ¡°Not to cause confusion, I like women, but I know a lot of people who are gay.  Trust me, it''s normal and you shouldn''t be ashamed if you are.  Cross dressing is fine too.¡±


    But this is a different world...cultures could be different.


    ¡°I''m a straight guy,¡± the two said in unison.  They glanced at each other; the boy''s eyes sparkled.  He must have fallen in love.


    Strangely, I had the feeling that the boy was a girl just like Vaughn.  Straight or not, I could not tell; the egotist''s soul rune could make almost anyone fall in love with him.


    ¡°Why don''t you run back to the other wagon?¡± Vaughn asked through clenched teeth.  ¡°We''re bad luck.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to be with those superstitious, old geezers.¡±  The blue-haired person pouted.


    Should I use male or female pronouns for this person?


    I scratched my head.


    When did I even determine that Vaughn was gay or that he preferred male pronouns?  I think I''m missing something very important...


    ¡°If you be a good little boy and leave, I''ll think about giving you a kiss,¡± Vaughn said in an extremely sweet voice.   There was no doubt about it; he had activated his soul rune.  Ironically, he once said he hated it.


    The small person''s rosy cheeks turned crimson red, but my gaze drifted to the hay that lay on the wagon''s floor.


    Hmm, I thought Vaughn was strangely manly when I first met him.


    ¡°Th-th-that...uhm, uh...y-y-you...¡± the blue-haired person stuttered nonsensical sounds.


    But then, he struck me as feminine.  Right now he seems extremely masculine.  So surreal.  Is something messing with my head?


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Don''t tell me, you are in love with me?¡± Vaughn snickered.


    ¡°No!¡± The person clenched his or her fist.  I looked them up and down.


    This person is the same way, but should little boys seem this masculine?


    The egotist flipped his hair.  ¡°There is no reason for you not to love me.  I''m perfect, and you know it.¡±


    I asked, ¡°Are there runes that make women give off the impression that they are men?¡±


    They both stiffened.


    ¡°No!¡± Vaughn shouted.  He turned and held up a hand to hide his face.


    ¡°The aura obscuring runes can do it.¡± The blue-haired person wore a forced smile.


    Vaughn was my little brother, so I stayed with male pronouns.  The other person, I gave female ones.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Her pained smile twitched.


    ¡°No reason,¡± I said.  The two disguised females relaxed, baffling me in their gullibility.  And people called me na?ve.


    The girl rattled her tongue with a large smile, ¡°You should use the ice element.  It''s a sub element of water.  It''s refreshing too.  Hey, can I come join you two in there?¡± She yelled over her shoulder.  ¡°Hey! Nocky! Let me into this cage.  And, no, I do not want your opinion.  That''s an order.  Let me in!¡±


    ¡°If you come in here, I''ll gut you alive,¡± Vaughn said.  Once again he glared.


    The bars to the cage suddenly twisted.  It created a gap large enough for the girl to fall through, and once she did, the bars moved to their original position, closing off the hole.


    ¡°Get your dirty little fingers off me!¡± Vaughn yelled.


    The girl had landed beside him and took the first moment that she could to hug him.  Just like a monkey.


    ¡°You smell nice.  You feel warm too.¡±  She buried her head into his shoulder, not caring about any consequences.


    ¡°I do not mingle with perverted commoners.  You are a Five-Star Apprentice.  I am a Novice.¡±  He pushed the girl away.  ¡°Prepare to die you little twerp.¡±


    ¡°Wait--¡± I quickly grabbed the egotist''s arm.  He really was too straight forward and rash.


    ¡°Haha! Listen to that Mundane! He knows more than you.  What did you think would happen if you attacked me?  This whole cage is mine.¡±  Laughing, she pointed to the other captives.  ¡°You slaves, move to the corner and give us more room.¡±


    They did not budge.


    ¡°You are a baby.¡± Vaughn smirked.


    The girl shouted towards the other wagon, ¡°Leo! I said, ''You slaves, move to the corner and give us more room.''¡±


    This time, they stood up, crowded to the far end of the wagon, and sat down.


    ¡°You are worthless without that Adept and his two servants.  Who is he, your big brother?¡±  Vaughn wore a pug smile.


    ¡°No, he is my dad, and he needs to do whatever I tell him to do.  Grandpa loves me more than he does him.¡±  The girl grinned.


    I shifted in my seat.


    ¡°Shouldn''t you be careful, then?  What if he disposes of you so he would become the new center of attention.¡±  He narrowed his eyes at the girl.


    ¡°You are a Gnudeerian.  You do not understand familial love nor the bonds between lovers and friends.  You only know of the existence of your bloodline.  If you have many children, you can abandon them whenever and wherever you want.  As long as one survives you will be happy.  It does not matter if you hate or love that child.¡±


    The egotist clenched his teeth.  He had nothing to say.  I, to be frank, was confused.


    The girl stood up proudly.  ¡°We Appenhundians value loyalty the most.  Lovers, friends, family¡ªall are important to us.  The strongest in our group, regardless of who it is, will become the leader.  My grandpa loves me, and my father dotes on me.  You''re just jealous.¡±


    Vaughn laughed.  ¡°Loyalty?  The Cowzer Sect is known for its fratricide.  You are an ignorant child.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t always like that!¡±  The girl, no longer wearing her jubilant smile, stomped her foot.  ¡°It was built on loyalty.  The six heroes came together and determined that each would lead the sect.  Hail, Cowzer, Tempest, Blaze, Shade.  Because of their friendship the Cowzer Sect flourished and became the strongest sect in the Continent of Haven.  Even now, it is still the greatest.¡±


    ¡°It''s falling apart.¡± Vaughn laughed.


    ¡°It was completely harmonious until ten years ago,¡± the girl almost yelled.  ¡°Even if Matriarch Ruby was wild, rambunctious, and always caused trouble, it was a type of bittersweet love that all the Grandmasters shared.


    ¡°So what if the Outer Districts were in turmoil.  It weeded out the weak and built the foundation of the essence of  teamwork.  The five Inner Districts had acted as brothers and sisters.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a bogus story of the past,¡± Vaughn scoffed.  ¡°I will give the Cowzer Sect one more year before it collapses.¡±


    The girl lowered her head and looked at her feet.  Her boot ground a piece of straw.  ¡°Maybe you are right.  The Hail Faction is scrambling to obtain its Legacy Rune.  Without it, we are ranked the weakest of the factions.¡±


    The egotist wryly smiled, but I butted in before he said something hurtful.


    ¡°Can you heal my arm?¡±


    Dispirited, she shook her head and motioned at Vaughn.  ¡°No.  We need his help.  I can''t do that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I leaned against the bars.  Being a hostage should not be too bad.


    Vaughn thought otherwise.  He clenched his teeth, and guilt stung him like a burning stake.  His face told it all.


    ¡°You are a bastard,¡± he said.


    ¡°He will be fine for two months.  Novice Leo made sure of it,¡± she said, her voice flat.


    My brows wrinkled.  I patted the hay next to me and said, ¡°Sit here.¡±


    Vaughn gaped.  ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The girl froze, but then nodded and sat down.  She said, almost wistfully, ¡°I don''t have any friends my age.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be your friend.¡± I smiled at her.


    Vaughn waved his arms.  ¡°Remember what I told you yesterday?  Dead meat!  You are going to be dead meat.¡±


    ¡°He is right,¡± the girl said.  ¡°The Hail Faction has no use for a Mundane.¡±


    ¡°He''s not a Mundane.  He is an Apprentice,¡± Vaughn spat.


    ¡°Then he will definitely die.  No Apprentice has ever returned from the Hail Faction''s Legacy Trial.¡±


    My eyes drifted, and I scratched the back of my head.  ¡°Can we talk about something happier?  My name is Kaiden.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell him your name!¡± Vaughn clenched his teeth.  I was an alien, he must have thought.  ¡°They captured us, tried to enslave us, and now they are going to kill us.  What gives you the urge to ask your tormentor to be your friend and to give them your name?¡±


    The girl laughed at the egotist.  ¡°I''m called Mocha.¡±


    ¡°Your actual name.¡± Vaughn narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Latte.¡±


    ¡°Bastard.¡± He scowled.


    ¡°If I want to be called Mocha, why can''t I be called Mocha?  I don''t like my name.  It''s lame.¡±


    ¡°It can''t be that bad,¡± I said.


    She fiddled her thumbs. ¡°Fine. It''s---¡±


    Clank!  The girl raised her brows.


    From above the caged wagon, Adept Ulric looked down on us.  His face was serious, and he sent me and Vaughn a somewhat haughty glance.


    The wagons creaked to a stop.


    ¡°Dad--¡± the girl said.


    ¡°Emberfell, they''re coming. Protect yourself well.¡±  The bars parted a little bit, and the Adept dropped a white robe into the cage.  Then, he jumped down the wagon''s side.  He stood poised, scanning the greenish-brown grass that towered over the plains.


    ¡°So soon?¡± the girl said as she scrambled into the new robe and transferred her three stone runes to it.  The new robe had the emblem of the Ruby Faction.  She pulled its hood to hide her blue hair.


    ¡°Your name is Emberfell?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kaiden.¡± Vaughn slapped my arm and looked into the distance.  His fingers nervously tapped against his knee.  ¡°Get ready to flee the first chance we get.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fun.  May I join you two?  My name is Mocha,¡± the girl said, her face once again jubilant.


    ¡°And we are ditching the boy,¡± he said.

 Chapter 13: Burning Flames

    Chapter 13: Burning Flames


    Vaughn scribbled a magic rune into the air. It wrapped around his wrists¡ªan Anchor Rune.


    ¡°That''s quite pretty,¡± Mocha said. Her finger glowed. ¡°Let me try too.¡±


    She drew a half circle and a squiggly line, but then stopped. The magic vanished in a small puff of smoke. ¡°Wait, that''s no good,¡± she laughed.


    ¡°Smoke?¡± Vaughn narrowed his eyes. He looked at me. ¡°Don''t do anything funny. And make sure the boy doesn''t do anything strange.¡±


    I nodded, and he placed his hands against the wagon''s floor. His foot fidgeted as he gazed at Adept Ulric.


    The man was standing tall with arms crossed. Three stone runes flew from his pocket to circle his body. One stopped to his right, the other to his left, and another above his head. With a flash, they transformed, and the man grabbed the sword and shield while the crown fell onto his head. All three were minty-blue and emitted small, crystalline snowflakes.


    Novice Leo, with arms raised, stood to his left while Novice Enoch, who was holding a metal pike, stood to the right.


    Adept Ulric banged his sword and shield; his voice boomed. ¡°I know you''re there. Show yourself you scumbags!¡±


    Someone snorted, and the grass ignited. Flames roared to the sky while the crisp sound of crackling filled the air. Red ash twirled in the wind as the fire raged into a large barrier that surrounded us.


    The Adept slid a foot back, readying himself for battle. His eyes darted through the flames, looking for his foes. ¡°There!¡± he said, and the enchantment rune on his sword shone with a blue light. Water gushed from it, swirling and glistening in the air.


    With a wave of his blade, the liquid shot forward in the shape of a giant serpent. Coordinating with him, Novice Leo released his soul rune, causing misty blue threads to encircle the summoned water. As the temperature dropped, sharp ice blades crystallized within and around the snake, giving it a tyrannical scale armor.


    The serpent tore through the ground, slicing through stone and freezing grass. It clashed with the flame wall, and although it did not melt, neither did it retreat.


    The man gave another swing of his sword. The water undulated and the serpent exploded with power. It pushed against the barrier, releasing steam.


    The color of the flames dampened as the wall grew smaller, but before the fire vanished, a deep rumbling shook the earth. The wagon creaked beneath my feet and the black bars rattled.


    Earthquake? No, it was something else.


    Behind the wall, black smoke exploded from the confines of burning grass into a looming tornado. It twisted and writhed, bending towards the serpent. The two clashed head on with screeching howls.


    The serpent struggled, and Novice Leo dove behind Adept Ulric, who then raised his shield. The water beast exploded into steam and shards of ice. The Adept leaned forward, bracing himself for impact, but Novice Enoch was nowhere to be seen.


    Chunks of ice pushed the Adept back as his boots sunk into the ground. He did a half circle swing with his sword to gather more water. Slicing the blade upward, the water formed a spherical barrier around him and the Novice.


    Within a fraction of a second, the tornado''s head came crashing down on them. It did not focus its strength to attack, but rather allowed itself to disperse across the plains.


    Thick waves of black smoke surged through the area, obscuring all vision. It swamped the wagons, rocking them as it forced itself into my lungs.


    My throat burned, and I coughed. The air was so heavy that I could feel the smoke''s smoothness against my skin.


    Heavy objects slammed into my body. One knocked me to the side, another trapped my legs, and the last pinned my shoulder to the ground. It twisted and dug itself into my flesh, but the coldness of it dulled my nerves. There was no pain but ice.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I coughed, grabbing the bar with my good hand. The smell of ember burned my nose. I struggled to move. No use.


    ¡°Kaiden!¡± A hand touched around my chest before grabbing what held me down.


    ¡°Break you damn spear!¡± Vaughn grunted. He shook it more and the bar sunk deeper into my flesh.


    ¡°Help...¡± said a weak voice.  A liquid splashed onto my face; it felt warm.


    My hands quivered.


    Someone yelled, roaring like a raging dragon. ¡°Novice Enoch! I''ll have your head you traitor!¡±


    ¡°Oh Ulric. Do you really think you can do anything to us? Grandmaster Snow isn''t here,¡± a voice laughed. ¡°Good job Novice Enoch.¡±


    ¡°Adept Jadeson. I didn''t expect you to actually come.  It had always been your pathetic underlings.¡±


    ¡°Well things change.  And, you know exactly what you did to deserve this.¡±


    Adept Ulric snorted, ¡°You''re still on about that. It wasn''t me. Go kill Hanz. It was him. He''s a true bastard.¡±


    ¡°Still blaming the Shade Faction? How pathetic.¡±


    The flames raged louder. The smoke grew thicker. Yells. Clashes. Clangs.


    ¡°Kaiden! Can you hear me?¡± Vaughn struck my chest. ¡°Oh, please still be alive!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°Something is pinning me down.¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± he yelled. ¡°Stop spacing and show some fear! It''s damn scary.¡±


    He stumbled to the side.  ¡°Ember-something, dissolve these bars. You''re ice tainted, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I can''t.¡±


    Vaughn growled, ¡°I''ll heal you, just get rid of the freaking spears.¡±


    ¡°Can''t.¡±  Liquid splashed onto my lips, and I tasted its metallic tang.  My body froze, wanting to yell and scream.


    Flashing lights...pools of blood...rushing figures...glowing plasma...


    ¡°Kaiden!¡± A hand smeared the blood.  Blood.  I was drenched in blood.


    ¡°Get rid of the spears. Destroy them. Abolish.¡± A thick liquid.  No color, and Vaughn.  Someone called Vaughn was by my side.  I calmed.


    The cage, I wanted to destroy it.  My fists clenched and I took a deep breath.


    ¡°Get back,¡± Mocha coughed. ¡°I''ll obliterate it.¡±


    Like a wave, amber strands dispersed the surrounding black smoke and formed a web-like cocoon. Mocha, towering close to me, was at its center.


    My eyes widened.


    Spears were piercing through her body, and blood trickled from her once pale blue eyes. Her irises shone with a deep amber that matched her stained robe like the colors of a flame. She should have been dead, but the fervor within her gaze told otherwise.


    Blue flames wisped from her skin and robe. Burning nothing, they were as ethereal as forgotten spirits and grew larger with each shallow breath.


    Vaughn stumbled. ¡°Shit, too much!¡±


    He looked at me with furrowed brows.  His lips quivered in fear, but without pause, he covered my body.


    Boom!


    The ringing in my ears sent them bleeding. I tried to cover them, but Vaughn gripped me tighter.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± he grunted.


    I choked on the scorching heat while the bar piercing through my shoulder began to dissolve. The wooden floor beneath me creaked and crackled. Soon, we fell through, plopping onto the dirt.


    The bars vanished, the wagons crumbled, the wood burned, the grass blackened...


    ¡°Emberfell!¡± A voice roared followed by the loud clang of clashing blades. ¡°Damn you fuckers.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t look away.¡±


    Vaughn coughed madly, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His violet eyes were duller than normal and soot covered his face.  I could feel his haggard breath against my skin.  I slowly moved him off my body, but he weakly grabbed my shoulder, using it to stay upright.


    By my side, Mocha was convulsing, and with each twist, blood splashed.  Wherever it touched, a flick of amber would burst into flame.  A bit landed on my skin, and I flinched, feeling the sting of burning flesh.


    ¡°Mocha.¡±  I crawled closer, holding back the pain.


    ¡°Stay away from him.¡±  Vaughn tugged my robe, his voice weak. ¡°His soul is collapsing.¡±


    ¡°How do we stop it?¡±


    ¡°Stop being so stupid. You can''t do anything.¡±


    ¡°But you can,¡± I said. My teeth clenched. ¡°This...this happened to me. Didn''t it?¡±


    A drop of blood touched my cheek, yet I savored it as punishment for my uselessness.


    ¡°Let''s hope he dies before his soul explodes.¡±  Vaughn stood up.


    ¡°How can you be so cruel?¡±


    He looked away, his head downcast. ¡°It''s better that way. I can''t help him.¡±


    I watched the girl flail as amber threads circled her writhing body. I could do nothing; my fists clenched. How could I be so pathetic?


    Suddenly, the collars around the other captives glowed. The people scrambled to their feet.  Smiles of relief covered their faces, and they turned a blind eye to the suffering Mocha.  Insensitive bastards.


    ¡°We''re finally free,¡± they laughed, tearing the collars from their necks.


    ¡°Looks like that other guy died,¡± Vaughn stated, ignoring Mocha.  With a smile, he sent the group a quick glare as he relished in their fear.


    ¡°Run,¡± a person said.  His trembling legs struggled beneath his body and stumbled over stones.  The others followed him, but froze upon reaching the wall of smoke.


    A man wearing a blue Adept''s robe exited the thick smokescreen. Freckles covered his skin, and his brown hair was covered in soot. With a wave of his hand, the smoke grabbed the Apprentices, pulling them behind him.


    He looked at us then Mocha. He smiled at the sight of her convulsions. ¡°Worthless,¡± he said, and he jumped into the black cloud. It undulated, forming a nearly solid wall.


    Vaughn grabbed my arm. ¡°Hurry, the boy is going to blow.¡±


    I struggled, resisting his grip. I can''t give up. My gaze remained fixed on the girl. She was so young and small.


    She can''t die, not like the two I had killed. I strained my muscles to resist Vaughn. Not another death.


    Smack!


    He slapped me on the cheek, holding nothing back. ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing, you fool!¡±


    I lowered my head, and he dragged me with what little strength he had left. I wanted to stay but could not. It made me feel hollow. Completely hollow.


    Ash, stones, grass, embers. The scenery slid below my feet as we abandoned Mocha.  The slave collars lay sprawled across the ground like a heap of trash. They were disgusting things, enchantment runes that read ¡°Soul Bind.¡± My fists clenched, and I bit my lip, holding back a tear.


    Why was this world so messed up?


    I froze, and my feet, not keeping up with Vaughn, stumbled.  I crashed to the ground and stones scraped my knees, slashed my skin, and dug into my flesh.  It burned, but the adrenaline of pumping blood muddled my brain. I could save her!


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Get up!¡± Vaughn yelled.  He dropped to his knee and knelt by my side. His shaking hands gripped my shoulders while his wrists were still covered by a faint Anchor Rune.


    He was going to hate me.


    I slapped his hand, forced it against the ground, and willed with my mind.  A soft pulse originated within the pit of my stomach and shot through my chest, arm, and wrist.  As it reached my palm, the energy seeped into Vaughn''s Anchor Rune.


    It activated, latching him to the ground.


    ¡°What the--¡± He yanked, but he remained stuck. His face paled. ¡°Kaiden!¡±


    I sprinted from him and scooped up three slave collars with my good hand.   My throat burned and my shoulder bled, but I did not look back.  Behind me I heard an angry string of curses pushing against the wind.


    Mocha had stopped flailing, but her body still twisted and bent into strange shapes.  Amber threads continuously seeped from her body to invade the area and burn the air.


    I wiped the slave collars against my bleeding knees, not sure if they needed to be bound. I weaved my hand through the girl''s soul rune, trying my best not to touch it.


    Careful. A bead of sweat dripped down my chin, and the first collar snapped around her neck. The amber threads struggled less, and I slowly placed the other two around her arms.   Her soul rune wriggled, still resisting the soul bind.


    ¡°Fuse,¡± I commanded, and the three collars lit with a white light.  Her soul rune stopped moving, but it did not return to her body.


    ¡°You fucking bastard! If you live, I''m going to mince you into a million pieces,¡± Vaughn yelled, breaking through his Anchor Rune.  He scrambled to his feet with newfound strength.


    ¡°Slave Collar!¡± I pointed. ¡°I need another one.¡±


    ¡°Idiot!¡± he yelled, but he still swooped one into his hand.  He was fast despite his pale complexion, and in a moment he was by my side.


    I took the collar from him, ignoring his angry scowl.


    He grabbed my body from behind¡ªno, he hugged me. His arms trembled, and he whispered something into my ear, but I gave it no heed.


    I inhaled a deep breath and held it.  The last collar clasped around Mocha''s ankle. Her soul rune undulated and retreated into her body.  Only until the last strand vanish did I let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Bastard.¡± Vaughn gripped me tighter.  It was painful.


    ¡°Heal him please?¡±


    He glared, but still released my body. With a snort he cast Mend on the girl. Seven times.


    ¡°Ther-¡±  Vaughn''s eyes widened, and he dove, pushing me to the ground.


    No! I struggled from Vaughn''s embrace, and a burst of flames like that of a roaring dragon soared to the sky.  It set the world aflame and ember fell to the earth.


    An invisible liquid, most likely some form of magical energy released by Vaughn, protected me.  I watched the amber flames rage within an arms reach.  As quickly as they had been born, they died.


    Vaughn''s arms released me, and I scrambled to Mocha.


    She lay there, covered in ash, but her body was not burned or charred.  Watching her chest rise and lower, I relaxed with a smile.  The only problem was that--


    Thump!


    Vaughn slammed my face into the ground.  Ash and dirt entered my mouth, and I coughed at its bitter taste.


    ¡°Don''t look. He''s a she,¡± Vaughn said, further digging my head into the charred earth.


    If you were actually a guy, you shouldn''t be looking either.


    Escaping his grasp, I wiped the filth from my mouth and diverted my gaze.  Mocha coughed, and I smiled; I had done something right.


    The black smoke slowly receded, and I listened to what was left of the fight. There were still clashes, clangs, and curses. Their voices were distant, and closing my eyes, I strained my ears to listen.


    ¡°Grandmaster Snow will make you guys pay, especially you Flameheart. Even if he dies, he''ll take you down with him,¡± said Adept Ulric.


    ¡°An eye for an eye. You got what was coming--¡± clang! ¡°--you should stop resisting and let my Novices leave before you piss me off. If I joined in the fray, you''d be dead.¡±


    ¡°I already told you. It wasn''t us.¡±


    ¡°Like hell we would believe that.¡± Someone snapped their fingers.


    Bang!


    Adept Ulric coughed. ¡°Why don''t you--¡±


    ¡°Believe you?  Who else would cause our disciples to disappear other than the Hail Faction?¡±


    ¡°Ask Enoch. He knows it wasn''t us.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know everything,¡± Novice Enoch said. ¡°I don''t watch you like a hawk, and they''re not the only ones who vanished.¡±


    Adept Ulric snorted, ¡°Are you inferring that I--¡±


    Bang!


    ¡°That''s enough talking.  We''re leaving. Our goal here is done. A tooth for a tooth. Emberfell is dead. Adept Jadeson, let him keep the stupid Cowzer Apprentices.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± someone replied.  He added, ¡°Not even his soul is left. Collapsed then kaboom. It''s a pity that Grandmaster Snow didn''t let him join the Blaze Faction. He had the perfect soul rune.¡±


    I felt a sudden warmth against my lips.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± Vaughn yelled, tackling Mocha to the ground.


    She was blushing and giggling. ¡°He really does blank at times.¡±


    ¡°How dare you steal a kiss! I will gut you alive.¡± Vaughn pushed Mocha''s back against the ash-covered floor.  He was only wearing a sleeveless shirt and trousers.


    As for his robe, Mocha was wearing it without the rune that obscured her gender.  Her amber eyes glittered against its white folds, not willing to return to their original color.  Her skin, too, seemed a couple shades darker.


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± she laughed. Her arms wrapped Vaughn''s neck, and her dirt-covered cheeks blushed against his.


    I raised a brow at the two celebrating their survival.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you''re doing, you lowly commoner!¡± The egotist tried pushing her away, but his weak body barely put up a fight.


    Mocha kissed him, and the more he struggled, the more she forced herself against him. Her cheeks blushed like blooming roses.


    I looked away.


    ¡°How are those Apprentices still alive?¡± I jumped at a man¡¯s voice.


    He was gazing at us in a fiery red coat and brown shorts.  As he stood their barefooted, he emanated a frightening aura and blended into his surroundings.  His every movement kindled the embers that struggled to live across the muddy, scarred plains.  Without his loud voice, the flames would have already sputtered to death.


    Adept Ulric leaned over, heaving blood from his mouth as he watched us from the corner of his eye.  Seeing Mocha, his gaze flickered, but he forced himself to appear pained.  He bent lower to hide his head.


    Apart from the man with the coat, three men and woman surrounded him.  One of them, Novice Enoch, grinned.  Without recognizing Mocha, he said, ¡°The purple haired one is a Novice, and according to Leo, is one of the three True Purities.¡±


    ¡°Purities?¡± The man with the coat raised a brow. It was only for a split second, but his voice quivered. ¡°Let''s leave before Grandmaster Snow returns. It would be bad if he gets here before Blaze.¡±


    The other two men, an Adept and Novice, watched Mocha kiss Vaughn. Their brows were furrowed as though they could sense something strange.  As for the pair in question, they were still foolishly unaware of their watchers.


    The red-headed woman, who was also a Novice, turned her head away and blushed as her thoughts wandered elsewhere.


    I gaped.  Vaughn wouldn''t...at this distance...no, impossible.  I glared at the two rambunctious children.


    And Vaughn called me the fool.


    Sweat dripped from my forehead.  Biting my tongue, I faced the five watchers.  After a moment the man in the coat shrugged and turned to leave.  The other three, tearing their eyes from Vaughn, followed him in silence.  The woman gave one last glance.


    Her eyes met mine and she smiled.  Then, they left.


    The freed Apprentices shivered, not daring to move.


    ¡°You two are fools,¡± I said. Vaughn pushed against Mocha, but she only laughed louder and hugged tighter.


    He growled in his throat.  ¡°Let go of me you whore. You''re a complete cockroach. Poked full of holes, exploded, and almost had your soul collapse. How the hell are you still alive, and with so much energy!¡±


    ¡°It''s all because of you.¡± She smooched his cheek. ¡°Love trumps all, even death.¡±


    ¡°Kaiden, this is your fault. Do something about this roach,¡± Vaughn said, his face distorted in disgust.


    I turned my head and looked at Adept Ulric.  He was currently sitting with his legs crossed.  Meditating?


    ¡°He''s so cute staring off into space. Vaughn, if you really don''t want my love, that''s fine. My savior can have it. He has nice blue eyes.¡± Releasing him, Mocha stretched towards me.


    ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± The egotist pushed her to the ground. My brows raised, and he initiated a kiss.


    So he is gay.


    Mocha turned cherry red and wrapped her arms around Vaughn''s neck. Her fingers sifted through his hair as she pulled his head closer.


    ¡°Guh! Enough!¡± Vaughn pried himself from her embrace. He shivered.


    ¡°You''re so cute when you''re shy and jealous,¡± Mocha said. She inched closer to me.


    ¡°Don''t you dare move, you cockroach.¡± Vaughn balled his hands into fists, and his teeth ground against each other.


    ¡°I won''t,¡± Mocha said, sitting obediently.


    He released a heavy sigh and dropped his guard.


    Mocha lunged at me, and although I pulled back, she licked my bottom lip. Her devilish eyes flicked to the side, observing Vaughn''s every action.


    He gaped, and then his expression turned to one of hate. His teeth clenched, his brows scrunched, his violet eyes burst into flame... He gulped and cowered.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing, you little bastard.¡± Adept Ulric glared, casting a shadow as he stood behind my back. His eyes burned my very soul and froze my body.


    ¡°I-I-¡± I could not speak.


    ¡°So you saw that?¡± Mocha rubbed the back of her neck. She wore an embarrassed smile. ¡°It was nothing Dad, really.¡±


    His gaze intensified.


    ¡°I''m alive, and he saved me.¡±


    After a pause, the Adept snorted. ¡°I''ll let you live. For now.¡±


    ¡°You better do what he says.¡±  Vaughn grinned.


    Whose side are you on?  You don¡¯t even know what he said.

 Chapter 14: Temple

    The days passed in misery as the grasslands stretched in an endless sea. The low hills rolled across the land but gave little to define it. Rocks, grass, and Titan Bulls. That¡¯s all there was, so I focused my attention to the distant clouds.


    The small fluffs of white were lonesome and weak. The wind carried them against their will, but it made me glad. At least I wasn¡¯t alone.


    If the clouds could see my sorry state, they too would understand.


    I rolled my shoulder to shake that awful feeling...that hateful glare.


    Adept Ulric snorted and pointed more daggers at my soul. His precious daughter, who was not at all sweet, giggled with shining amber eyes.


    There was something wrong with the people in this world.


    ¡°Kaiden, we¡¯re almost at the Cowzer Temple,¡± Mocha laughed as her eyes flicked to the side. She watched her father as he gave another snort. Then he pouted, his lip puckering into a round curve. Mocha must have inherited her immaturity from him.


    Or, she had corrupted him with it.


    ¡°Hey pervert,¡± Vaughn said in Gnudeerian, ignorant of his own mistake. ¡°Stop being such a fish.¡±


    I kicked a small stone by my foot. It tumbled into the tall grass, and ignoring Vaughn, I pushed forward and used my hand to clear myself a small path.


    There must be something in the water. I would rather have the lofty, overbearing Adept Ulric and the egotistical Vaughn than the two children they had become. It was¡ªcreepy. So very creepy.


    ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± Vaughn asked.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything.¡±


    ¡°Perverted dead-carcass,¡± he retorted.


    Mocha chuckled, and her eyes fell on me. A shiver shot down my spine.


    ¡°I think you''re cute.¡± She articulated loud and clear for all to hear but specifically for Vaughn.


    My stomach lurched. What did I ever do to be caught between a girl and her egotist?


    ¡°Shoo! A hundred meters away,¡± Vaughn barked at me.


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I was already pushing through grass while him and everyone else stood behind Adept Ulric.


    As if the Adept knew my thoughts, he lifted his sword. The rune brightened and for the nth time he created a liquid serpent. Then with a small swing of the blade, he caused the spiralling water to shoot forward. It tore through the grass with its fangs, clearing a long path while scarring the ground with a long trail.


    On second thought, I moved a few steps to the side.


    ¡°More.¡± Vaughn glared, and I could feel Adept Ulric¡¯s support piercing through my back.


    I took a few more steps then glanced at them from the corner of my eye. Mocha winked, and my heart thumped, fearing for my life.


    What was I to her? A tool to make Vaughn jealous?


    And he fell for it. The egotist bit his bottom lip and snorted at Mocha. With a quick motion to straighten his clothes, he looked me in the eye.


    At least Mocha¡¯s father didn¡¯t see the wink.


    I twisted my neck and feigned ignorance by staring at the distant clouds. I let out a small whistle¡ªsort of. A pathetic puff of air.


    ¡°Kaiden,¡± Vaughn grumbled.


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Mocha chuckled. ¡°Would you like a kiss.¡±


    ¡°No get away!¡± Vaughn yelled.


    ¡®He¡¯s in denial¡­¡¯ I crossed two fingers behind my back. Once Vaughn realized his feelings, they¡¯d stop arguing. Maybe.


    I let out a long sigh, feeling somewhat jealous of the captured Apprentices. They sat to my left on a floating piece of ice. They rubbed their freezing hands and fidgeted from time to time. It must have been painful, but I would rather be with them and risk hypothermia than be caught in this mess.


    I lifted my arm. The Ice Curse had climbed closer to my shoulder. I shook it. No feeling, not even pain.


    ¡°Kaiden,¡± Vaughn began, ¡°You''re a tomato bird.¡±


    I ignored his senseless insult then pushed through the grass and walked higher up the hill. Soon a pair of columns came into view, and the closer I approached, the more they twisted and rose above the grassy planes.


    I reached the peak, and staring back at me was a large stone statue situated behind the two columns. A Titan Bull.


    ¡°The Cowzer Temple!¡± Mocha laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll race you down the hill!¡±


    The girl ran forward half sliding through the path cleared by her father. Vaughn rushed after her, and his countenance brightened¡ªeyes shining, lips smiling, cheeks blushing...


    I felt a small pang. Was I jealous? No, impossible.


    ¡°If I get there first, I get a kiss from Kaiden!¡± Mocha yelled.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°What! No!¡± Vaughn cried.


    A snort sounded behind me. My body stiffened.


    ¡®I¡¯m a goner.¡¯


    I dove to the side, and my legs slipped upon landing against the slope of the cleared path. Leaning inward, I allowed my body to roll.


    Skreee!


    A water serpent tore through where I had just stood, sending small bits of grass flying through the air. It turned to look at me, and my face paled.


    ''Crap, he¡¯s serious!''


    I pushed up and ran, adrenaline pumping. A small voice whispered to me, ¡®If he wants you dead, you¡¯d already be dead,¡¯ but my heart thumped louder. I couldn¡¯t take the risk that he wouldn¡¯t kill me. I didn¡¯t have the courage¡­


    ¡°Kaiden! Get back here! Do you-¡±


    Memories: twisting streets, towering buildings¡­ What was that?


    No time to think.


    The sloping hill increased the rate of my descent, and I felt my legs moving faster and faster. My heart clenched, and I resisted the urge to shut my eyes. My body leaned forward; I raised my arms. Falling was imminent.


    But then I didn¡¯t.


    The adrenaline of fear vanished, replaced by excitement. I felt the earth thrumming beneath my feet, the wind blasting against my skin, the vigor flowing through my body... My legs moved quicker, and I spread my arms. I felt as free as a bird, and I laughed.


    The water serpent whistled to my side, its body littered with mud and grass. Its glossy eyes looked at me, and I at it. I felt no fear.


    Adept Ulric wouldn¡¯t kill me, not yet at least.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Mocha whined at the top of her lungs, causing the serpent to deform. It twisted then popped. The water sprayed into my face; the dirt path turned to mud. I slipped.


    I tucked my head close to my chest, and I rolled and slid the rest of the descent¡ªten meters, maybe.


    Crack! My shoulder banged something hard.


    I wiped away the mud on my face and opened my eyes. A marble path.


    ¡°Kaiden!¡± Vaughn rushed up to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± My body was fine, maybe a few bruises, but it was the path that I was more worried about. I rubbed my good hand against the newly formed indent and across the jagged cracks.


    How was this possible?


    ¡°Be more careful!¡± Vaughn thumped my head. ¡°If you weren¡¯t an Apprentice or a Novice...or whatever the hell you are, you¡¯d be a goner!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Maybe a couple broken ribs.¡±


    ¡°Or a broken neck!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty lucky,¡± Mocha chimed in. She nodded to herself. ¡°Yep, lucky.¡±


    ¡°Grrr,¡± Vaughn growled.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive,¡± I said. My eyes drifted down the small marble path. It led to the Cowzer Temple, but contrary to my expectations, the temple only consisted of the two columns, the bull statue, and a couple steps and a wide marble base.


    ¡°So what if you¡¯re alive. You could¡¯ve been dead,¡± Vaughn argued.


    Mocha chuckled. ¡°So, do I get to kiss him?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± I asked, ignoring the growling egotist.


    An old man sat at the temple¡¯s entrance¡ªif one could call it that, it was barely a landmark. His back leaned against the left column, and the sun shone in his face. His white robe glistened and so did his gray hair.


    His eyes fell on me.


    I froze. His gaze felt heavy yet light and clear.


    An Apprentice? But the robe was different¡ªtoo ornate yet too simple.


    My head tilted to the side. The longer I looked, the more I felt that the old man wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Mocha chirped, snapping me from my trance.


    She rushed forward, boots clattering against marble. She laughed until she reached the steps. There she rocked her arms back and forth and then pushed off the ground, scaling the four steps in a happy leap.


    Adept Ulric strode past me¡ªhis pouting face gone, now replaced by a lofty air. Vaughn and I followed after him.


    The old man smiled at Mocha and rubbed his hand against her cheek.


    ¡°How¡¯s my little Amber?¡± he said. ¡°Your eye color changed. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Not sure. My soul almost collapsed, but Kaiden saved me. I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re not blue.¡±


    ¡°Kaiden?¡± the man asked, his smile fading. He looked at the Apprentices and then at me and Vaughn.


    I took a small step forward but flinched. Something had touched my back. Adept Ulric. His hand, placed against my shoulder blade, exerted pressure to push me forward, but fear held me still.


    ¡°This one,¡± the man said as he gave me a sudden, forceful shove. My foot collided against a step; I fell.


    My hand scraped against the marble floor. A sharp stone had made an incision, and I watched as I began to bleed, but why?


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t I stronger than this?¡¯


    The blood trickled down my palm.


    Adept Ulric nudged my side with his boot. ¡°Answer the question, boy.¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± Mocha growled.


    A heavy pressure fell upon my body. I buckled as it slammed me into the ground. The marble shifted, floor cracking. The pressure grew heavier, but none of it hurt.


    ¡®Strange.¡¯


    ¡°Grandpa,¡± Mocha whined, and the old man humphed and the pressure vanished.


    She had a real knack for controlling people.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°Seventeen,¡± I replied as I rubbed my arm at the base of the Ice Curse. It felt colder for some reason, but at least it hadn¡¯t cracked.


    ¡°When did you become a 1-Star Novice?¡±


    ¡°A few days ago.¡± I shrugged. Was I a Novice?


    ¡°Apprentice?¡±


    ¡°The same day I became a Novice.¡±


    The old man grabbed me by the robe and pulled me to my feet. He looked me up then down then up again.


    ¡°Find someone else,¡± he said, throwing me back onto the floor.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Mocha chuckled.


    ¡°Ulric, ignite the Cowzer flame. Plans will continue as they are and we¡¯ll ignite the other four.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ulric replied before entering the temple.


    His foot passed the two columns and onto the round stage. The marble around its perimeter lit up, forming a red glowing circle. The Adept lowered his torso and reached down with his right hand. His arm swayed as he let his fingers brush against the surface with each advancing step.


    The temple rumbled. The stage shook.


    Suddenly, the old man pulled me from the rubble. I righted myself and was about to say ¡°thank you,¡± but then he flicked his wrist. My mouth shut tight. A thick energy blasted against my body and blew away the mud and dirt.


    ¡°Soul rune?¡± the old man asked as if nothing happened. He didn¡¯t even pay attention to the changes occurring within the temple. I wanted to watch to see the power of magic and to know what was happening, but I held myself back.


    Giving the old man my full attention, I answered, ¡°Translation, maybe language.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very good.¡±


    ¡°I figured.¡±


    He brushed back his white hair, pausing for a bit. Then he said, ¡°You¡¯ll be part of the sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Mocha yelled, but the old man had already brought his hand in front of my eyes. He did something, but what?


    My stomach churned, energy escaping and hands falling limp. I wanted to yell but couldn¡¯t. My legs, they wouldn¡¯t even budge.


    Darkness.

 Chapter 15: Ancestor Hail

    ¡®It hurts¡­¡¯


    I opened my eyes, and I was inside some kind of temple. Pillars held up the sides of a large dome that encapsulated the whole building. I sat on a high plateau. A stage, maybe.


    Chattering teeth.


    Four Apprentices were on the ground, their bodies bound by ice. I couldn¡¯t see their eyes but they must have been filled with fear.


    ¡°Let him go you bastards. Let him go!¡± Vaughn¡¯s voice reached my ears.


    I tried to turn my head but pain coursed through my body. I couldn¡¯t even yell; half my neck was frozen. As for my cursed right arm, it had completely turned into ice.


    ¡°Kaiden! Kai-¡±


    The ground rumbled and the stage glittered as numerous runes flashed across its surface. Ice crystals burst up, encasing us in a three-meter-tall wall. Then they twisted, stretched towards the center, and formed a small dome.


    Darkness.


    A moment later the prison¡¯s walls began to glow. Bubbles of light floated through the crystal and gathered in the dome¡¯s center. Then forming a bulge the ceiling drooped. It moved smoothly¡ªlike a tear falling to the earth.


    When it was two meters from my face, the bulge halted its descent. Its glossy surface rippled and two lumps formed. The bulge stretched into an oval sphere and a crevice slashed through it. Lips.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to die!¡± a man yelled. The others began to panic; they yanked at the ice: shifting their bodies, straining their muscles¡­ But it was all for naught.


    The surface rippled again. Some dimples came to be and wrinkles and warts.


    A glowing line stroke across each of the two lumps. The light burned brighter and it pierced into the prison and forced the lines to widen. I squinted my eyes. Even the walls shook beneath that blinding blue light. The lumps tore open.


    Sapphire eyes. Regal and wise.


    I froze under its gaze¡ªthe name of a single creature on my mind:


    Imperial Snow Toad


    It was the emblem of the Hail Faction, and Adept Ulric pierced me with his glares when I had called it a frog. At the time I felt that his eyes were burrowing through my soul, but compared to this sculpture¡¯s, his gazes were nothing.


    I took a deep breath, and suddenly my heart hummed as though it wished to be one with the toad.


    Its mouth opened and frost descended onto my body. Although it was just a sculpture of ice, its breath contained a boundless energy. It filled every inch of the prison and caused my inner soul to churn. The energy, in the guise of a thick liquid, forced itself through my body. I felt so alive but drifted from wakefulness...a happy tune...a small girl...a dark alley...


    Then the sculpture inhaled its breath, swallowing the energy along with my recollections.


    But were they mine? I couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°Regality,¡± the sculpture spoke and the ground vanished.


    A pile of snow broke my fall and I struggled to sit up. My body, which had been partially frozen by the Ice Curse, had returned to normal. I flexed my right arm, delighting in the return of its senses.


    A small echoing voice rang in my head, ¡°You¡¯re dead meat.¡± It must have known what I was about to do, but smiling, I ignored it and breathed into my hand. My fingers tingled against the warm breath, and then I smooshed the surrounding snow and curled up into a ball. My fate was already in the hands of someone else, so I embraced my exhaustion and said to the empty room, ¡°Later I¡¯ll search for a way out.¡±


    I yawned, but to bother me the ground quaked and trembled. I lifted my head but the room hadn¡¯t changed. Its walls were still white and the simple five pedestals still held up some small statues. Nothing less and nothing more, so I lowered my head.


    ¡°Show some fear! It¡¯s damn scary,¡± Vaughn¡¯s words echoed and this time I felt it¡ªa small tugging at my soul. The sensation seemed to come from above and beyond the walls that trapped me. I instinctively let my mind wander to find the source, but then the tugging stopped as if someone had cut an invisible thread.


    Loneliness washed over me and I moved my legs closer to my arms. Then I closed my eyes.


    After a minute, bells tolled and gongs banged. Then screeches began, and my ears were met by the sound of nails grating against a chalkboard.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± I growled and sat up.


    The room fell silent and the five pedestals, which I had ignored, lit up with a faint glow. The light twinkled a bit as if to say they were important. The pedestal in the middle¡ªthe one with the toad¡ªflashed the brightest and grew in size.


    No, it was that the other four had shrunk. Cow, Hawk, Scorpion, Human.


    ¡®Fine,¡¯ I mumbled.


    I pushed up onto my feet then extended my hand. My fingers brushed against the toad¡¯s head and rubbed a small sapphire crown. It glittered and the room began to shake.


    ¡°What is regality?¡± A voice echoed. ¡°The Snow Toad defined it. To inherit his legacy you must pass his trial. Call him forth. Flaunt your skill with runes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t cast any.¡±


    ¡°A melting ice cube for each question. That¡¯s all the time you get. Failure results in death.¡±


    The voice vanished and the room stopped shaking. Behind the toad statue a portion of the wall slid back and to the side, opening a small crevice. Within it was a small stand that was surrounded by white runes.


    The strokes peeled from the stand and stretched across the wall¡¯s surface. They wiggled a bit before their movements came to a halt.


    Another rune: Cow.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± I asked as I stepped closer to the cow statue. I patted its head then lifted it up but nothing happened.


    I stared at it then looked at the crevice. ¡®It should fit,¡¯ I thought.


    Taking a few steps forward, I placed the cow onto the small stand. The rune twisted and the statue vanished and reappeared on the pedestal. A new word marked the wall, ¡°Scorpion.¡±


    The room shook. ¡°I said, ¡®Failure results in death.¡¯¡±


    I flinched. The words seemed all too human. No recording? Messages left on one¡¯s deathbed? Stringent ghosts? The things of movies?


    I looked around the room. Nothing strange but there was no one else in the room. What happened to the four Apprentices?If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Dead,¡± said an eerie voice.


    I jerked my head to the side, knowing that no one was there. No one was, so I shrugged at myself for being skittish. I lifted the scorpion statue and placed it into the crevice.


    Again it vanished and another rune appeared. Puppet.


    I cocked my head to the side and the voice said, ¡°Take your time. Failure results in death.¡±


    I looked back at the five statues.


    Cow, hawk, scorpion, toad, human.


    Cow was cow. Scorpion was scorpion. That left the hawk, toad, and human¡­


    I shook my head. Why was I thinking? I lifted up the human and placed it into the crevice. Again the rune changed.


    Hawk.


    Toad.


    Insect.


    Bird.


    ...


    ¡°Think more,¡± the voice commanded. ¡°No guessing. I don¡¯t like lucky people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not guessing.¡±


    The next word was ¡°mammal.¡± I paused for a bit before choosing the cow statue.


    Then came ¡°shade.¡±


    The Shade Faction? I twiddled with my robe and scratched my head. There had been a Novice with a black silhouette on his robe. It was a person, but it could¡¯ve been a puppet


    I placed the human statue into the hole and once again the rune swirled. My shoulders relaxed. More simple words...


    Eventually I lost count.


    What was the point of this?


    I placed down the scorpion for the nth time and then the voice asked, ¡°Who taught you about runes?¡±


    ¡°My friend.¡±


    ¡°Where did they learn?¡±


    ¡°Not sure. Tutors?¡± I replied. Then I heard a sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming. You¡¯re too boring.¡±


    The ground shook as the pedestals shattered into dust. The snow shifted, moving to the center of the room. It compressed into a toad the size of my hand.


    It wore a sapphire crown, and the small creature was puffing its chest. It reminded me of Matriarch Ruby, but why? Where was the resemblance?


    She was tyrannical with a boisterous laugh.


    It seemed wise with a silent pride.


    The toad opened its tiny mouth. ¡°I am Ancestor Hail, master of runes and third founder of the Cowzer Sect.¡±


    I crouched down and rested the urge to poke it. Mocha must have rubbed off on me¡­but I didn¡¯t want to enrage a toad that might have the temperament and fierceness of Matriarch Ruby.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kaiden.¡±


    The toad glared. ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I had wished for something dramatic. This meeting should have sown stories within the stars. But why are you so boring? No, that¡¯s not it. You have the air of true Regality.¡±


    The toad paused. Its eyes bore into mine; its mouth twisted into a smile.


    ¡°Why are you so calm?¡± it asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I replied and the small toad stretched its stubby legs. It strutted around my body, and its every step sent tolls through the room. The walls vibrated and collapsed into white strands. They swirled once around my body only to be swallowed by the toad in a single monstrous gulp.


    ¡°Awaken,¡± it said standing before me. Light pierced from its sapphire eyes, illuminating the dark outreaches of the room. The moon appeared and the glimmering stars began to fall like snow onto ashen lands.


    There was no life. Only the shadows of withered trees.


    A winter wasteland.


    The toad grew in size and it mumbled to itself, yet each word resounded as though meant for me. My stomach clenched; my inner soul churned.


    ¡°When failure meant death, he didn¡¯t flinch.


    ¡°But when life met sacrifice, he didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°His thoughts are simple, but his mind, is it broken?


    ¡°Or is it not?¡±


    The toad stopped. Its eyes, now as large as me, blazed with a blue light.


    ¡°When he killed those two, blood stained his hands.


    ¡°Regret filled his life,


    ¡°A sin against Regality.


    ¡°Yet¡­


    ¡°I have seen your heart.


    ¡°It lives in his memories,


    ¡°Those that were forgotten


    ¡°When the door had opened.¡±


    My heart skipped a beat and a sensation tugged at my spirit, beckoning me to return to the past.


    ¡°Courage or fear.


    ¡°Vengeance or forgiveness.


    ¡°To fight or to flee.


    ¡°He¡¯s done it all,


    ¡°But what happened to that little boy?¡±


    The toad stepped forward. It croaked:


    ¡°Who are you?


    ¡°All I see is an empty carcass.¡±


    My chest throbbed.


    ¡°Dream of your past.


    ¡°When you awaken,


    ¡°That is Regality!¡±


    The toad¡¯s mouth gaped open in an endless pit. With a single breath it lifted me from the ground and swallowed me whole.


    Blackness quickly draped around my body, and stars streamed by.


    I was falling but I let it take me¡ªdrift me through the memories of my past...Mocha¡¯s laughter...Vaughn¡¯s cry...Alaric''s smile¡­


    The toad¡¯s voice resounded, ¡°Try to wake up. It would be horrible if I need to find another heir. Gena already laughs at me for taking my time...that old cow.¡±


    Everything froze and I was suspended in time and place. A voice pierced through the silence.


    ¡°Brave being, do you wish to accomplish a great deed in your life? If so then say yes! Glory will be yours!¡±


    My body jerked and I tumbled¡ªstomach lurching, throat choking. My soul struggled within me. It yanked and pulled and my soul rune twisted.


    A deep tug.


    I appeared in my inner soul but all the stars were red. They bled and the blood dripped from the sky in long thin streams. A strand landed on my shoulder, and the rest followed. They covered my body, meaning to drown me.


    I reached out with my hand and tried kicking with my legs. My neck craned back and I gasped for air. But still, the blood seeped into my mouth and engulfed my head.


    Darkness.


    <hr>


    Light burst forth and I found myself in a large room decorated with paintings of knights, horses, and cows. I lay swaddled in the arms of a woman who was sitting on a bed covered by silk and satin.


    I stared at her, unable to process the sight.


    ¡°Look Emelyn. Little Thomson woke up.¡± The woman smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. They were bright and blinding against the dark purple of her hair and eyes, but they weren¡¯t as shocking as her skin. Flat out orange.


    Her smile dropped and her eyes flashed with a golden light. A rune?


    Ow.


    Something jabbed my cheek. I turned my head as much as my weak neck allowed me to.


    A little girl, maybe two years of age, stared at me with curious eyes. They were bright and clear like the epitome of innocence. But then she frowned and her small brows wrinkled; her lip puckered. Her demeanor changed and she jabbed me in the stomach.


    ¡®Those egotistical eyes,¡¯ I thought. Pairing them with her need to manhandle anything that moves, there was no mistaking her identity.


    Vaughn.


    His chubby hand jabbed me again, and I opened my mouth.


    ¡®How dare he be cruel to a baby!¡¯


    ¡°Waaaa,¡± my reprimand came out as wails, so I quickly shut my mouth.


    Suddenly, a voice drifted into my ears: ¡°That¡¯s...weird¡­..I¡¯ll.......force-¡±


    The woman sacrificed me to Vaughn and he squeezed my body too tight. His mother waved her hand towards the shadows. Her voice sounded joyous and excited, almost urgent. ¡°Come here and say hi to your son.¡±


    ¡°No. He¡¯s that man¡¯s kid.¡±


    ¡°Be that way. I won¡¯t waste time with you.¡± Smiling, she squeezed my tiny nose then jabbed my chest. ¡°Grow up big and strong and protect little Emelyn, won¡¯t you? If not I¡¯ll haunt you in the afterlife.¡±


    Threatening a baby? It was no wonder why Vaughn was so aggressive.


    ¡°What a cute pout.¡± The woman poked my cheek then raised her head. She scowled. ¡°Get over here. You¡¯re not going to see him for another fifteen years-¡±


    Everything blackened and I felt a gut wrenching pain. I must have screamed but no sound had reached my ears¡ªonly silence.


    Then it stopped and my senses returned.


    <hr>


    A hospital room. By the far bed a woman held a newborn baby within her arms. His royal blue eyes looked calmly at his mother. He didn¡¯t cry for warmth but rather snuggled closer.


    The toad¡¯s voice: ¡°Regality...but...why¡­..are¡­....you......¡±


    Everything froze¡ªan eternal picture of a thousand words. I didn¡¯t want it to end but my feet were held still. I watched on as cracks streaked through space. The walls crumbled and the floor vanished¡­ I stared at my mother, wishing for an eternity. But she too disappeared into a thousand shards.


    Darkness met me and something snapped within me. Did I break?


    No. It was the opposite. My soul rune clicked in place.


    I could remember¡­


    But I didn¡¯t want to.