The Forgotten Voice

Issac and Eri hid themselves in a dark corner of the church, where no one could see or hear them. Issac's legs were throbbing with pain, but Eri had forbidden him to use the holy water in the church to heal them. She said it would interfere with the tattoos.

Issac looked at her with curiosity and anticipation. "What is this technique, anyway?" he asked.

Eri took a deep breath and said, "It's called Runic Resonance. It's a technique that my father created and passed on to me. It's very powerful, but also very risky."

She showed him her legs, where complex runes were engraved. "These runes are symbols that represent different aspects of mana, such as elements, forces, qualities, and concepts. They can be used to manipulate mana in various ways, such as casting spells, enchanting objects, or creating effects."

Issac stared at the runes in awe. He had never seen anything like it before. It was intricate and beautiful. He wondered what it meant and what it could do.

She traced her fingers over the intricate patterns on her skin, feeling the faint pulse of mana within them. "These are not ordinary tattoos," she explained. "My father created them, he found out that by using special ink made from mana crystals, he could draw runes on his own body and store mana in them. These runes could then be activated to unleash their power, or to enhance his own abilities by resonating with them."

She lifted her leg and showed him the tattoos on her calf. "These are the runes for speed," she said. "They symbolize movement, agility, swiftness, and stealth. When I channel mana into these tattoos, I can boost my speed and nimbleness to a level that surpasses human limits. These are the only runes I know how to make."

She looked at him with a solemn expression. "Runic Resonance is a technique that turns your body into a weapon and a tool," she said. "But it also has a price."

Issac's eyes widened.

"A price? What do you mean by that?"

Eri sighed.

"The price is addiction," she said. "The runes are addictive. The more you use them, the more mana you store in them. The more mana you store in them, the more powerful they become. But the more powerful they become, the more you want to use them. And the more you want to use them, the more you lose control."

She looked at him with a serious gaze.

"Runic Resonance is a technique that gives you great power, but also great danger, Issac. You have to be careful when you train it. You have to be strong-willed and self-aware. You have to know your limits and respect them, and balance your power and your humanity."

She paused and added.

"There's also another risk. If you overuse Runic Resonance, you can explode your mana pathways."

Issac gasped.

"Explode? What do you mean?"

Eri shuddered.

"I mean literally explode," she said. "Your mana pathways are the channels that connect to your mana core, which is the source of your mana in your body. If you use too much mana or activate too many runes at once, you can overload your mana pathways and cause them to rupture. This can result in severe injuries or even death."

Issac nodded. "This is the only chance I have to awaken my soul weapon, the one that Azora told me about. So how do I train this technique?"

"To train this technique, you have to do these things: draw the runes on your body with the needle and the ink, channel mana into them with your mind, and activate them with your will. You also have to drain your mana every night by circulating it through your body and into the tattoos. This will help you store more mana in them and make them more powerful. And don't forget those training exercises we did this week. You will have to do them every day as well."

Eri looked exhausted after explaining the technique to Issac. She had dark circles under her eyes and her voice was hoarse. Issac felt a surge of gratitude and admiration for her. She had taught him so much in such a short time,

He smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Eri. You're amazing. I don't know how to repay you for everything you've done for me."

She yawned and stretched her arms. "No problem, I'm really tired now. I think I need to get some sleep."

Issac nodded. "Yeah, we are leaving here tomorrow. Good night, Eri."

He watched her leave and as she walked towards her room. He felt a warm feeling in his chest. He liked Eri a lot. She was smart, kind, beautiful, and mysterious.

He went to his own room and tried to meditate like Eri had told him. He didn't really know what he was doing. He had never trained in any kind of magic before. He tried for hours to sense any kind of mana or pathway to move it through.

He followed Eri's instructions as best as he could. He sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. He calmed his mind and focus on his body. He tried to feel the mana core inside his chest, the source of his mana. He tried to feel the mana pathways that connected his mana core to his runes, the channels of his power.

But he felt nothing.

Only frustrated and disappointed. He wondered if he was doing something wrong, or if he was just not cut out for this. Would ever be able to use magic.

He decided to keep trying. He didn't want to give up. He wanted to become stronger. He wanted to protect himself. He wanted to learn more about his past and his destiny.

He continued to meditate, hoping that something would change.

Eventually his frustration got the better of him and he found himself falling asleep.

He had dreamt again. Issac was sitting at a large red table, facing someone he didn't recognize. "You don't remember me?" the voice asked him, over and over. The voice was in his head, not his ears. It was loud and clear, but he couldn't tell who it belonged to. "You don't remember me?" "You don't remember me?" "You don't remember me?" The voice kept repeating, like a broken record, and he felt like he was trapped in a loop. He tried to look at the person's face, but he couldn't see any details. It was like they were shrouded by some kind of fog.

He felt a surge of fear and confusion. He wanted to get out of this nightmare, but he didn't know how. He tried to speak, but he couldn't make a sound. He tried to move, but he was paralyzed. He was helpless and hopeless.

He wondered who this person was, and why they were haunting him. Was this someone for his past or maybe the future.. He wondered if they were friend or foe, ally or enemy, human or monster.

He felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. The voice stopped asking its question, and became silent. The fog around the person's face started to clear, and he could see some features. He saw a pair of eyes, staring at him with a mix of emotions. He saw the face smirk at him, and then a flash of light. The light encompassed everything around him.

He heard the voice again, but this time it was different. It was not in his head, but in his ears. Softly whispering into them. It was not repeating, but revealing.

It said, "You don't remember me? That's okay. I'll make you remember me. I'll make you remember everything."