[Your knowledge of runes has surpassed the rank of a Beginner Rune Wordsmith.]
[Your ability has evolved.]
[Ability: Runesmith.]
Arthur watched the notification as he breathed with difficulty. The creation of this enormous circle consumed his mental energy, enough for him to see the words of the legacy scatter in front of him.
"I thought… the evolution would be… a little less anticlimactic," laughed Arthur at the anticlimactic delivery of the news. His head was facing the ground while his hand supported his body.
Arthur could see his hand, pale and sweaty. The bones ran in four strips toward his wrist, while his nails had white crescent-shaped patches. Then, Arthur frowned as he saw the tip of his fingers dissolve.
"Are these… runes…?" Arthur felt like he was losing his mind because his body started to turn into runes. "I must have used too much of my energy to create the circle," laughed Arthur as he tried to focus on his fingers.
However, they were still dissolving. Arthur shook his head to keep himself awake, but it was futile. The runes danced around with their bright light as an overwhelming feeling started to crush his soul. Arthur felt like something was trying to fill in his body, but he was not big enough to contain it.
"I need to calm down," Arthur tried to take in a deep breath to calm himself down, and he snapped his head upward. However, runes were flying above him. His eyes darted around in confusion as his breaths grew more rapid. The empty room was filled with runes that danced around like a million fireflies. "What the fuck is going on?"
Arthur followed the source of the fireflies, and he turned around slowly. His eyes fell on the end of his legs, but there were no feet. There was nothing but an ever-gushing stream of runes that dissolved his body.
"Maybe this is… happening…" stared Arthur with disbelief at his missing feet. "I don't think I am losing my mind, but my body."
Arthur looked upward again and saw the countless runes filling the room, some he obtained as soon as he awakened and others that he studied. However, there were also strange runes that appeared out of nowhere.
"Legacy, what is happening?" asked Arthur as he stared at the runes. However, there was no response. "Scholar Guardian? Jizo? Dad?"
There was still no answer. Finally, Arthur realized that he was on his own and how foolish he was for depending on a dead piece of soul. This was his power, and he could control.
"All I need to do is to control the runes. They are still connected to me, which means I can reverse this process. I am the one in control."
Arthur calmed himself down as he focused. It was a long time since he felt fear, but it was nice to feel something. However, after this evolution, there might be nothing to feel.
His eyes closed as he tried to feel his connection to the runes. It was still there, and they were willing to listen to him like they did a thousand times before. However, the runes were endless, and Arthur found himself trying to scope the ocean using a spoon.
"I have not a shred of control," shouted Arthur as his arm betrayed him and he fell on his face. He turned his face toward his arm and realized there was no palm anymore. "This is hopeless," Arthur used his severed wrist to flip himself on his back. "I'm sorry for calling you anticlimactic!"
The runes were glued to the walls at this point, and Arthur realized they would destroy his array if they interfered with the inscribed runes. They spent a lot of time and money creating this array, and he needed to find a different place.
"Where is it?" he looked around the runes, seeking the one that would save his city. "Where is the teleport rune?!"
The strongest connections were for those that he understood the most. Arthur closed his eyes to look for the teleport rune, and it lit up like a star among the myriad of colors. Without hesitation, Arthur allowed his mana to flow into the rune.
This was his befall.
The moment his mana touched the runes, they raged were like hungry beasts that tasted blood after starvation. Arthur felt like the room would explode because of their vibrations, each seeking to be activated.
Arthur decided to keep going because the only way out of this mess was to get as far as he could from his city. The citizens who greeted him every morning, the mothers wanting him to bless their kids, and the farmers who cried when he visited them will all be harmed if these things explode here.
"Take me far away," he reached out toward the teleport rune. "I don't want to hurt my people," his severed arm was also dissolving, but it seemed his will allowed the one to receive the most mana to be the teleport rune. Then, Arthur disappeared.
***
"We need to go, captain," called a voice to her, making her snap out of her dwelling. Diana tightened her fist, which she brought to her chest. "Are we in danger?"
"We are not being followed," she shook her head. "It is just…"
Dia could not make sense of it herself. All she could feel was a void in her chest: the same as the one she felt atop the duke's house when Arthur told her his name.
'Are you safe, Arthur?' she sighed as she looked at the corpse below. It was not the kind of scenery for remembering your love, but there was nowhere else to look.
"I know that you are going through some main character moment," glared one of her recruits. "However, we don't have all day here."
Dia sighed as she turned toward the person who Arthur sent her. It was supposed to be someone powerful enough to aid her, but it was none other than the troublemaker.
"I will gut you, Red."
The woman who reminded her of her fiancé sneered. Dia hated their red eyes that looked on all other races in disdain. Red was the name that they called her, but she knew Arthur called her something else.
The last time they met, this woman was a lot gentler and calmer. However, Arthur said it turned out she was faking it because of some plan.
"I think we should have a match to decide who is the real captain since ours seem to be spacing out," said Red toward the rest of the division.
"Yay, infighting!" clapped a young boy. "It should be a deathmatch!"
"You are too young to say gruesome things, Peter," reprimanded a man with hair that reached his waist. "However, I do want to see our captain teaching the newbie a lesson."
"Maybe it will be the other way around," laughed a giant woman. "Let's see what you got, little princess!"
Diana looked around and saw that all of them were looking at her with excited grins. She had to push away the worry in her heart and answer their challenges.
"I will follow the strongest, no matter who it is," she said while unsheathing her ice sword. Then, she turned it around, and the ice energy froze the blood beneath them. "Attack me, newbie."
"Hehehe," Red maniacally laughed as her white scarf unfolded and turned into a sword. "I came here because that idiot said that you are stronger than I am, so let me prove him wrong."
"Who are you calling an idiot?" glared Dia as her flames blue flames appeared on her other hand.
"Well, of course, the Seika!"
Boom!
The land beneath Diana caved as ice shards appeared everywhere. The rest of the group trembled as they retreated backward in fear and witnessed their captain's rage for the first time.
"I thought she was incapable of feeling anything," laughed a soldier as he ran away. "So, the Seika is her reverse scale?"
Cling!
Their swords met as Red blocked the attack. Dia waved her hand, and the flames exploded, evaporating everything in their path. Then, however, Red was gone.
"You are not the only one with wings," said Red from above Dia as she dived toward her. The sword slashed apart air as an immense presence appeared.
"As befitting of a dragon descendant," muttered Dia as she witnessed the falling star. "However, you will regret calling him that."
Dia threw away her sword as she brought her hands together. A whirling sphere of ice flames energy gathered in her hands, each seeking to destroy the other.
"She is using the attack again! Run!" shouted the giant woman before picking up the child and fleeing.
Red grinned as she felt the power of her opponent. However, she did not retreat and kept diving toward Diana. The two attacks were about to meet when light burst from Red's pocket, and they could no longer use mana.
Diana frowned as her attack was defused, and an image appeared in front of them. Red landed to the side, glaring at the person in front of her.
"What do you want, Ori?"
"I can see that you are fighting like usual," said the man, which Diana recognized to be Arthur's new companion. "However, I need the princess to return."
"What happened?" frowned Diana as an ominous feeling filled her heart. Ori turned to her with a grave expression.
"The Seika…" her body shook as he said, "is gone."
