STAGE NINE: Wake up.

ying on the cold marble floor, Kirin couldn't even lift a finger. He is inside a rather spacious prison, with nothing but a small, dim crystal lamp illuminating the metal door. He managed to browse through a couple of secret texts about Astrid, but suddenly found himself collapsing. Surprisingly, Kirin kept his conscious despite being paralyzed. That's why he knows who put him in that prison, and how they did it.

"It's Taran. I knew he's behind this." Kirin thought, unable to even more his mouth to speak. Of course, he recognized his soul orb. It is his one, weakness that should be used only for desperate, last resort measures since it also endangers his life. His father is definitely desperate now, for him to use that. The usually confident Kirin started to lose his vigor and will to struggle.

The metal doors rolled up. And his captors, a middle-aged runemaster clad in the council's distinct uniform, and Taran, a face so familiar to Kirin. "My Lord, don't waste your energy struggling, we both know that's useless." He said with a smile.

Taran is one of Kirin's trainers. Since he was four, this sorcerer under his Father was in charge of his rune-based trainings. He tortured him a lot, to ensure that he increase his pain tolerance to various attacks. But his most significant role is supervision of his soul orb's creation. Kirin could still remember almost sixty runemasters sacrificed by Taran just to make the orb. And, he could still remember clearly how they sliced his left torso open to implant the other half of the orb. Since then, Kirin has become a puppet, following his father's every single order. He did run away, thinking he wouldn't dare use the orb against him, since his father wants him alive. But apparently, he greatly miscalculated the risk.

"Don't worry my lord, we're going to take Lenfiare with us. She has to be here somewhere, isn't she?" Kirin has never been this scared of Taran before, no matter how much he tortured him. But this time, he felt his insides churning, his vision spinning and his heart racing. "Freyja." Kirin winced, his entire body shivering. "Run. Run away."

~ o 0 o ~

"Shh... stay here." The blonde young man whispered, before stepping out to meet the patrolling guards.

"Lord Alaric! Have you seen a girl around this tall running around?"

"Yes I did!" Alaric's answer scared her. "I saw her leave with some friends at the main door. Although I'm quite sure it's nothing serious. I didn't sense any kind of hostile aura from her." One word from him, and all the guards rushed outside to capture her. Alaric chuckled childishly, thrilled about his prank. Then, he faced Freyja with a princely smile. "You're lucky the newbies are on patrol. The elite guards will catch you in a second, you know."

"Wait. I'm begging you. Please don't kick me out! I have to find a friend who's in here!" Freyja is desperate. He is right. Freyja doesn't stand a chance sneaking by herself. She needs to take a risk and trust this young man. "Please. Please. He may be in danger. Please."

Alright. The young man took her hand. "It's too dangerous to talk here. Let's go to my room and you explain it to me." He pulled her out of hiding and practically dragged her around. The young man led her to secret passages, through hidden doors, and to an elevator hidden behind a gigantic bookshelf. Not for long, she found herself inside a grand, room with velvet draperies, paintings, bookshelves, a double king sized bed. The design reminded her so much of the fairy tale castles she used to see on television.

The young man sighed, and giggled. He looks as if he enjoyed the hide-and-seek. Freyja, did not. "It's a surprise to see a kid here. I'm supposed to be the youngest here. How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen."

"I'm seventeen. I guess we're not that far apart in age." He looked relaxed and friendly. But Freyja is in panic. "Can you please let me find my friend? He snuck in here to read important documents. It's really, really, really important to us, so we had no choice. But I suddenly had a really bad feeling and he's taking a long time. He might get caught and he might get hurt!" She spoke fast.

"That's not impossible. The security's so much tighter in the upper floors, I wouldn't be surprised if he's in prison right now." Hearing him, Freyja stood up and headed to the room's doors. But he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Do you think I'll just let an intruder go?" He's smiling, but he sounded serious enough to worry her.

"A while ago, you evaded all the traps at the gates, I saw it."

"Huh?"

"You did. I saw you walk through the traps but they didn't trigger. You didn't even try to evade any of it. I've never heard of that kind of rune before. If you tell me, I'll help you find your friend."

"I did? I... I just ran straight to the gate with my eyes closed that's all. I was in a hurry. I didn't do anything special. Besides, not that I can, even if I wanted to."

"Don't lie to me. I even opened the doors for you."

"I'm not lying! I really don't know anything! My friend said there were traps there, but I can't see any of it, to be honest. Maybe I just got lucky or your traps malfunctioned."

The young man suddenly pushed her on the bed and pinned her down, intensely staring at her. "Please believe me! I really don't know anything!" She insisted, trying to break free. The young man, just quietly observed her. And then, he let go.

"She doesn't look like she's lying." He said to himself. He made an aura blade, invisible to an ordinary person's eyes, and pointed it at her neck. But, she didn't have reaction to it at all. Which means that she really can't see aura. "And I don't sense aura from here either. How did she even get to Runerich?"

"Please, I need to find him." Freyja pleaded.

"I will find your friend. BUT!" Freyja's face lit up, but just for a second. "But, in exchange, you will stay here and be my prisoner."

"What!?"

"I am Alaric Fullmar, the guild master Arphad Fullmar's son. And I'm the next guild master too boot. I can save your friend's life, but that won't be free. So, what do you think?"

Freyja can't imagine being a prisoner. But, the more that she can't imagine something bad happening to Kirin. Despite his rather cold demeanor, she knows that Kirin has been taking good care of her since she came into that world. She owes him her life.

"You don't have a choice anyway. Spend one more minute here and he may just get executed."

"ALRIGHT! I agree!"

"Great. Now stay here and I'll go look for him."

"I'll go with you!"

"Please..."

"Alright. Follow me.... Um..."

"Freyja. I'm Freyja."

~ o 0 o ~

Kirin smirked. "Take me back already. Can't you see the orb's effects is weakening?" He sounded confident that it worried Cliff. He's not supposed to move his mouth yet, his suggestion made sense. "Nice try. But by this time, Lenfiare should already be heading to Hawsdark. After all, you should have ordered her to return to the port city and back to Cewon. So we made sure to position troops in the port. Or, more likely, she's dead somewhere in the forest outside Runerich."

"She's just a normal girl! That legend is a load of bull!" He shouted. "Leave her out of this!" Kirin glared. Taran never saw such passion in him before, which convinced him more that the girl is the real deal. "I'm sorry, but we're careful. Real or not, we need to get rid of her just to be safe."

"I'm sorry Freyja." Tears are starting to cloud his vision. He felt his chest tighten, his body shake. "I'm sorry."

"KIRIN!"

At first, he thought he was hallucinating. He just heard her voice, loud and clear. And so did Cliff and Taran. The prison gate suddenly slammed open. Alaric, holding a crystal-illuminated torch, and Freyja are standing in front of them.

"Kirin! Are you okay? Answer me!" She almost ran to him, seeing him lying on the ground helplessly.

Kirin didn't know what to feel. Mixed emotions swelled inside him. He's happy, but he's also frustrated and angry. "Why are you here!? I told you to run, didn't I!?" He shouted. "Just run away already!"

"Just how did she even get in here?" Taran and Cliff looked at each other. But seeing Alaric with her, Cliff instantly knew how.

"Head of the council! Mage Cliff!" The blonde boy shouted. "So you are in cahoots with the Aethelmaer!?" The blonde boy quickly recognized the runemaster and quickly summoned a lance made of pure ice and charged at him right away.

Cliff is an elite runemaster. Though Alaric is holding a higher social status, he's definitely much weaker than the council head. Before Alaric could reach him, he summoned a wind barrier, shattering his ice-lance upon contact. Then, he summoned an even more powerful lightning bolt, hitting the boy. The young rune master fell onto his knees, crouching in pain.

"Alaric, you shouldn't have seen this." Cliff was about to cast another spell to finish the young rune master when Freyja, came rushing to him recklessly. She tackled him and wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to hold his movements. "Alaric! Go and call for help! He's a traitor isn't he? They should be able to help us!"

"Let go you damned brat!" Annoyed Cliff didn't even have to use his aura. He easily shoved her off. But she bought enough time to let Alaric escape. But Cliff can't let that happen. He summoned walls of ice and totally blocked the doors. Alaric tried to counter, but Cliff's spells were much stronger. They're all trapped inside.

Taran, grabbed Freyja, almost twisting her arm in the process. From his capes, dark purple tentacles materialized, wrapping tightly around her limbs and her neck, lifting her up. "I see," he peered into her eyes. "You really are a normal girl. But, we have to be careful." Another tentacle sprouted out of Taran's capes, its tip transformed to a sharp blade.

Kirin struggled desperately. He lifted a finger, he twitched his muscles. He gathered all his strength and courage into one blow. Kirin stood up and rushed straight at Freyja, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Taran's blade pierced Kirin's back.

His blood spurted out of the wound, Kirin's hold started to loosen. He fell onto his knees. But his arms still locked around her. "Kirin..." Freyja was speechless. She can't believe what just happened. It was as if time stopped for her. "No way...No. No."

Freyja knows what just happened, of course. But her brain refuses to accept it. If she does, she knows Kirin may no longer be there. She felt his warm blood on her hands, on her legs. Kirin was wounded. He's unconscious and he might just die anytime. Or, he may already be dead by now. She lost it. Her rationality, her emotions, everything that makes her human collapsed as she reached her most desperate state. Freyja blacked out.

"What are you going to do?" That voice again, it's talking to her again.

"Help me." She answered, blankly.

"I can't."

"Help me."

"But there's someone who can help both you and me."

"Somebody, help me. Anybody."

The faceless voice, seemed to have embraced the grieving girl tightly. It's warm, and reassuring. "Now Freyja, wake up."

Freyja's eyes sprung open. Her eyes glowed radiantly white, like a pair of stars inside a human body. Taran, Cliff and Alaric instinctively jumped back, away from her, as soon as they felt an overwhelming surge of aura escape from her. The tentacles binding her melted. White smoke escaped from her orifices. The ground shook, the entire tower shook, alerting every single rune master inside.

The lust for power is the only thing left in her mind. And anyone who's in the way will die.

Alaric couldn't move a single inch. His eyes fixed at her. For the very first time in his life, he saw something he's been dreaming of seeing since he was a child. A kind of aura from the legends, a pure-white aura. Every muscle in his body twitched and tingled in both fear and thrill.

Slowly, Freyja floated towards Taran. Her body, moving on its own, sensing the aura radiating from the orb in Taran's hand. No longer herself, she didn't even notice that her aura injured Kirin when she passed by him. Kirin could only look, barely maintaining his consciousness. Her aura is like a white hot blade, almost slicing his arm, had he not used his remaining aura to toughen his skin.

Cliff summoned lightning bolts one after another. He almost summoned an entire thunderstorm just to bring her down. However, his attacks wouldn't even touch her. All bolts dissipated even before coming into contact with her white aura.

Taran headed straight to the window to escape. He knows very well that he can't win at this rate. But, Freyja's aura were much faster than his legs. Before he could even take a step, Freyja's aura, mimicking his tentacles, wrapped around his ankles and slowly crawled up to his body. His clothes started burning, it felt like burning chains restraining him. Taran's screams of pain echoed all over the room, as the aura started melting his skin, his muscles, until there's nothing left of him but a few bones and chunks of leftover flesh.

Freyja herself, took Kirin's soul orb from Taran's hand. When she did, Kirin started rolling in pain, shouting. But she can't hear any of it. Freyja, with her own hands, crushed the orb, instantly shattering it into a thousand pieces, dissipating into nothingness. Then, he faced Kirin and started attacking him next. She floated towards him, her white aura slowly wrapping around his feet.

Luck was on Kirin's side. Even before she could do the same to Kirin, the white aura around her suddenly weakened. Kirin took the chance and broke free from her aura's hold. In no time, Freyja's aura completely disappeared, leaving nothing but an unconscious girl on the floor. They were all too surprised to even move. But Kirin, sensing she's back to normal, rushed to her side at once. "Freyja! Can you hear me? Freyja!" He called her, but she won't respond. Her flesh was burning, and her breathing was too weak, you could mistake her for a dead person. Blood started rolling out of her nose and her mouth.

Just in time, the ice walls Cliff used to block the entrance were shattered into pieces. The doors slammed open and the elite rune masters surrounded all four of them.

"I'll explain what happened! For now, I order you to restrain Mage Cliff and give these two emergency medical treatment! Hurry!" Alaric, the guild master's son, ordered. Though a bit hesitant, the guards followed the young runemaster's orders.

~o0o~