A Rune

Volume 2: Against the Unknown

....

Aeon woke up, coughing.

His last memory was falling from a great height. He remembered clearly because he couldn't believe that it took really long for him to hit the ground. Then, he blacked out.

It seems like I didn't die. Did I misjudge the height?

Aeon propped himself up using his left hand. It was only at that time that he was able to recall that the bones in his forearms were broken. He was about to cringe in pain when he realized that he felt nothing.

His forearms were fine.

He tested them one more time by tapping his hands lightly on the ground and, indeed, they were alright. He was happy that he was okay, but how did his bones heal really fast when it should've taken a month.

Aeon immediately thought about the Academy's Grand Magic Examination. Was it the same case?

Bah! It doesn't matter. As long as I'm alive.

Aeon grinned, obviously pleased. Though it was really dark, he thought. When he looked up, he couldn't see anything so he just shrugged it off.

Aeon stood up. He used the boots on his feet to feel for his missing swords. After he located them, he picked them up and placed them masterfully back into their strap.

Clueless, Aeon could only turn around randomly. He was about to give up and wait for his eyes to adjust when he suddenly saw something in the darkness that shone like a star in the night sky.

He found himself running towards the light through the dark, his only companion was the sound of his footsteps.

After reaching the end of the straight path, he realized that it wasn't an exit.

By that time, his eyes had already adjusted. In front of him was a huge rock that he could barely see. By the center of its surface, staring straight back at Aeon was a single character that seemed to be glowing.

It was a rune.

Its strokes were brightly lit, giving the area around them faint lighting.

It looked like a tilted letter Z with its bridge horizontally straight. A diagonal line cut through its center, its edges pointing towards the Z's tips but not connecting.

Basically, it resembled an hourglass that was falling sideward, but its upper-left and the lower-right corners were already broken even before the fall.

What the hell?

Aeon was really confused.

What did that symbol mean? Why was it glowing? Was he supposed to go back and look for other exits since that one was a dead end?

He sighed exaggeratingly. Since he was already there, he might as well tour that area. Who knows, maybe there was a hidden exit somewhere or a path that led upward.

He moved around the large rock slowly, afraid of tripping in the dark. His mind was now blank except for the urgency to get out of that place. He had no food; he had no water. He literally had nothing to survive that place. If he stayed longer, he would certainly die.

Though after taking a few steps, he stopped. Something had caught his eyes.

He turned towards the boulder.

Aeon cocked his head to the side…

Didn't I take a few steps? Why is the rune still directly in front of me?

He looked back to confirm that he really moved. After seeing the wide entrance where he came from, his eyebrows furrowed. Yes, he moved. So why was the…

Huh?

When Aeon turned towards the boulder one more time, the rune wasn't where he expected it to be anymore. It was back to its original spot—at the center of the boulder, facing the entrance.

Aeon laughed inwardly. Maybe he hit his head too hard during the fall so he was hallucinating. Shaking his head, he continued walking. After a few steps, he reached the back of the boulder.

As he had expected, it was a dead end. And, looking around, it didn't seem like there were small entrances on the wall that he could try to crawl in. Turning back was the only choice.

So, Aeon did. But before he walked back, he looked at the boulder because it was glowing unnaturally.

"Oh, there are two runes?" Aeon said as he thought out loud. The boulder wasn't actually glowing. It just seemed like it was because it was really dark and something bright was shining at its center—an exact copy of the rune at the front.

At that point, Aeon really felt curious. It wasn't common seeing glowing characters on unknown rocks or something, but it wasn't impossible either. After all, there were lots of mysterious and magical objects in the world.

If the boulder was a lot smaller, he would've taken it with him already. What if it was something that was extremely expensive and he could sell it for a fortune?

Unfortunately, it was just too big. About 20 meters tall and 10 meters in diameter. Should he chip a piece of it?

Aeon shrugged.

Why not, right?

Aeon took out his sword, Verdure, and approached the glowing rune. He thought that taking the part with the weird character would be enough.

He swung his sword horizontally, aiming just a few centimeters above the strange rune. His strike was swift and accurate. However…

Ding!

His attack did not penetrate the boulder. Upon closer inspection, with the help of the rune's glow, he saw that his attack didn't even leave a mark.

It was true that Aeon did not swing really hard, but know that his weapons were made up of really heavy materials. A casual swing should at least be able to leave a scratch on it, no?

Needless to say, Aeon did not shy away from the challenge. Once more, he slashed. This time, with a lot more force…

Whoosh!

DING!

"Ow!"

Aeon grimaced in pain. His sword strongly vibrated and his right hand took the brunt of the backlash. The boulder was completely fine and it had no scratches from the attack at all.

Such an occasion was extremely rare because all of Aeon's attacks were really sharp. But it did happen. Aeon couldn't help questioning how tough the material of the boulder was.

When his hand had finally recovered, Aeon inwardly sighed. He wasn't dumb. At that point, he could already tell that even if he used his Tenro, it would still end up the same way. Might as well give up on it instead of feeling more pain.

Well, it wasn't his priority anyway. It just distracted him momentarily.

He still needed to get out.

He eyed the mysterious rune one more time. Then, he started walking again.

He whistled a tune that echoed around the enclosed area as he circled around the boulder. Strangely, after he reached the other side, he noticed that it was a tad bit dimmer compared to earlier.

If his eyes adjusted to the dark, shouldn't he be a bit more sensitive to light? Shouldn't the glow of the rune be more distinct?

Something was quite wrong.

Subconsciously, Aeon turned around only to see that the rune was not on its original spot anymore.

Then, something white flashed by on the rock's surface. As it moved, it made a whirring sound that completely startled Aeon.

"What th—!" Aeon stumbled backwards and fell down.

The rune that had previously disappeared went back to its original position in a flash.

As if that wasn't enough, the rune moved left and right like an eyeball looking for something. It was even stuttering, and that only made it eerier. Finally, it moved downward and stared straight at Aeon. Then, it completely stopped. The whirring noise disappeared the moment it rested.

Aeon was panting heavily. He could make no sense out of what he was seeing. A huge rock with a rune for an eye? Was it not an inanimate object?

The entire time that Aeon was calming himself down, he did not look away from the rune and it seemed like they were having a staring contest. After he regained his composure, he slowly crawled sideward. At first, the rune did not move. But after a second, it followed him.

Fuck this is creepy.

Aeon wiped the sweat on his forehead. It didn't seem like the 'thing' could do anything to him, so he sighed with relief. Also, he couldn't sense any hostility. Aeon was really keen to danger, and he was not feeling anything weird in the slightest.

Still, a rune that could swim on the surface of a boulder was weird.

Aeon couldn't help looking around to ascertain that he was really underneath Mt. Eirene. It was the first that he questioned how such a place was there. How in the world was it not discovered before?

In the end, Aeon dropped his thoughts and he stood up. The weird pupil-like rune was no threat to him so he decided to just ignore it. Although it was really creepy.

As Aeon walked away, he hoped that he wouldn't need to go back to that part of the underground cave. Maybe he could report it to the Academy after he got out of there. He remembered how scared he was when he saw the rune move and started grumbling to himself. He inwardly thanked that his friends weren't there to see him. They would've laughed really hard.

With every step, Aeon pulled the distance between him and the boulder.

But as he moved, his steps also felt heavier.

Aeon couldn't tell why, but he was somewhat feeling emotional. He was feeling something quite similar to parting ways with a friend. His heart... his heart felt heavy and he failed to stop himself from turning back.

The rune was still there, still staring straight back at him. Its appearance had not changed.

Aeon couldn't help frowning.

Is it manipulating my feelings? How could it have such an ability?

Once more, Aeon turned around and resumed walking. Just when he was about to leave from the entrance where he came from, a great deal of longing overtook his feelings.

He remembered his childhood…

When he asked his father how come his classmates in school all had mothers except for him.

….

He recalled the sadness in his father's eyes.

He recalled how he comforted his father despite being a measly 6-year-old.

He recalled being sucker-punched on the head for trying to act like a grown man.

A silhouette of a woman flashed within Aeon's memory. What he imagined was just a dark figure because he had absolutely no memories of her.

….

Unknowingly, tears fell from Aeon's eyes.

Instead of feeling nostalgia, Aeon felt displeased. He didn't want to recall anything related to his mother. With the look of anger and frustration on his face, he walked briskly back towards the boulder. The weird feeling he was submerged in immediately disappeared.

With no one to blame or get mad at, Aeon vented on the rune. "What the fuck do you want?!"

In the dark and enclosed cave, his voice reverberated and echoed. It took a few seconds before it fell silent once more.

Naturally, Aeon did not receive any response.

How could a boulder with a rune talk back?

Aeon laughed at himself deprecatingly. Rarely did he lose composure. He had only been awake for no more than 20 minutes and he was already mentally exhausted. The memories that surged through his mind took a toll on him.

If he just kept moving forward, his frustrations would've ended there. But his feelings got the most of him and he was actually screaming at a rock.

He shook his head and was about to leave when he suddenly saw the light of the rune glow brighter.

The glow slowly crept towards Aeon's face as if it were a hand reaching out to caress his cheek, meaning to comfort him. It felt as if soft fingers were tracing Aeon's jaw, telling him everything was going to be alright.

It felt like... a mother's touch.

Aeon fell into a trance. He stared at the bright light, unblinking, but he didn't seem to be in pain. Nor were his eyes hurt.

Within the bright light was a flash of his own memories. This time, different.

….

His first day in school.

Learning how to wield a halberd.

His father introducing Tenro.

Him climbing a tree, his father looking over him from within his room in their old home.

Meeting his uncle and his cousin in a reunion.

….

As the stream of memories progressed, Aeon was getting older and older. Despite overlapping with his father's capture, the memories only showed good and happy ones.

Then came Suri and Korona. Then, Levi and Selena.

Aeon felt at peace. His heart felt warm and a strange feeling of contentment washed over him.

As he basked in the delightful feeling, he didn't know that he was actually lifting his hand. It slowly moved—slowly reaching for the bright light.

No... he was reaching for the rune.

Just when the last moment of good memory faded, as the bright light dimmed, Aeon's hand finally touched the rune.

It was also only at that point did he realize what he had done. All of the good and pleasant feelings disappeared and was replaced by panic.

The bright light dissipated and the rune started pulsating. It seemed to have gained its own heartbeat and the light it was emitting was pulsating in tune with it.

Aeon felt that the rune was just a projection. It was not something physical and was still bound to the boulder. Despite all of its movements, Aeon could not feel his hand rattle. However, he couldn't pull it away either.

In fact, he couldn't move. He was frozen in place!

He continued staring at the rune with wide eyes and prepared himself for what was about to come.

From the rune, hundreds of purple lines emerged. At first, it snaked outwards on the surface of the boulder, but as if sensing Aeon's presence, they retracted and slowly crept towards his skin.

The moment that the first purple line came in contact with Aeon's skin, a blood-curdling scream reverberated through the air. It sounded like the howls of the dead people in the underworld, begging to be rid of their suffering.

It hurts! It hurts!

Aeon was in so much pain that his saliva slowly dripped from his mouth. His eyes were red and the veins in his head popped out. His knees felt weak and his body drooped, but his hand still remained glued on the rune. The invisible force that kept Aeon's hand connected to the boulder prevented Aeon's knees from touching the ground. It was supporting Aeon's entire weight while his body was completely limp!

The purple lines continued invading Aeon's skin. Like snakes, they moved along the surface, twisting, turning, and wriggling. The entirety of his hand was filled with purple lines and it didn't appear as if it would only stop there.

They kept crawling until they reached Aeon's shoulder. Then, it split towards his neck and torso.

Aeon kept wailing in pain but the lines did not care, nor did the rune.

The purple lines glowed underneath Aeon's clothes and it looked like his body was cracking. It looked like Aeon's body was covered in cracks and pieces of him would fall off any second.

After a few seconds, the lines finally enveloped Aeon's entire skull.

The moment that the lines had finally reached Aeon's toes, it completely stopped.

For a few moments, the lines kept wriggling and wriggling, as if trying to go over every inch of Aeon's body.

When it had finally settled…

The rune moved.

Previously, it was bound to the boulder.

But now, it found a new vessel.

The pupil-like rune crept into Aeon's skin through his hand, the purple lines becoming its bridge. It moved slowly all the way up to his forehead where it settled.

With a hiss, the rune branded itself on Aeon's skin, making him scream even louder.

Then, the purple lines slowly retracted into the rune where they came from. Now, they were visibly thinner than before.

When the last purple line disappeared back into the rune, Aeon's hand that touched the boulder fell. With a thud, Aeon fell to the ground.

The light of the rune disappeared, but the room remained dimly lit because there was a new source—a spark of electricity.

Crackle.

….