Julia saw him as a nuisance when she first met the man before her. Grandmaster Yuvan took an interest in a logistic student, and it made her feel like he was hogging all her hard work. It worsened when Yuvan brought Oriole in as an assistant to groom him, and Alexie Linan followed.
Oriole was a natural genius. His hands treated runes and biological tissues as his playthings, which he handled a thousand times before. There were many occasions where he even forgot to use some tools used to correct runic paths but still ended with astonishing results.
This made Julia unable to complain about his existence, but even that genius treated Alexie carefully and fondly. It made her wonder why this man was remarkable, but she realized it when he saved her from the intruders.
Alexie was a mountain.
That was her impression the more she got to know him. His words were absolute, and his beliefs were unwavering. Furthermore, no matter how much others rely on him, he finds a way to rise to the occasion.
However, that was not the reason that she wanted to befriend him. It was the fact that he was a genuine person. The first time someone told the truth to her face was when Alexie told her that he hated her, and from then on, she knew he was different.
In the game of politics, everyone wore several masks. A friend can betray her as easily as an enemy can stab her. This made Julia unable to trust anyone, and it built walls even between her and her family.
"I am eternally grateful for this gesture. However, I cannot let my friend ruin her future for me. I will handle it from here."
Those two words of appreciation, eternally grateful, were as true as the sun rising from the east. Alexie had that charisma that made others believe whatever he said. The risk she shouldered in her desperate need for friends seemed laughable in comparison to the gratitude her friend showed.
After she learned that he was about to de-rune his artifact to prove the truth, she was in awe. The more powerful a rune is, the less is the percentage of inscribing it. Grandmasters were rated according to their success rate in ten different Origin Runes with stars.
For example, a one-star grandmaster was someone with an average of ten percent success rate. A two-stars had a twenty percent success rate of inscribing ten different Origin Runes. This establishes the hierarchy of runic attainment among the grandmasters.
For example, the reason that Jumana Vinera hosted most events is because of being a five-stars grandmaster. There were only four five-stars grandmasters in Runera, each belonging to one of the four families.
This proves how difficult it is to inscribe a rune successfully. However, that same pride made it heartbreaking to watch someone un-rune his artifact and strip it naked.
Therefore, when Alexie touched the blade, the runic light of creation exploded in the hall. The music stopped, and the runemasters backed away from the light coming from the saber.
"For the truth, he destroyed his beloved creation," a runemaster muttered among the crowd. Julia glanced his way and saw that Oriole was working hard to make his friend be a martyr. "I saw Alexie spend days without sleep to create that artifact," he sighed with regret.
Julia felt that the runemaster was simply trying to shift the crowd's opinion about Alexi. However, she knew that there had to be some truth to that. An artifact that left the Reverse Family helpless was bound to take days to create or months if the encryption was involved.
The runic lines exploded from the artifact to cover the hall, proving that Alexie managed to decipher the encryption that held them within. Casca reached out to stop him, but Alexie was decisive as he grabbed the runic lines and destroyed them.
The runic lines disintegrated to descend on the crowd, in a phenomenon known as Creation Dust. It was heartbreaking to see the artifact's creator stand amid the frozen floor, sparkling lights descending on his shoulders.
"And here is the truth," Alexie Linan presented the saber toward Casca Reverse, as naked as it once has been. The grandmaster received the blade with a confused expression, which slowly morphed to pity.
"I apologize for doubting your ability," said Grandmaster Casca as he received the artifact. "I failed to acknowledge a scholar before my eyes and made him un-rune a masterpiece. You have the right to hate me."
"The time I have poured into this creation came from my respect for Runera and the profession," said Alexie. "I would never hate someone who sought the truth and would be happy to provide it. An artifact is a small price for a great man's recognition."
His words fell into the right places, and Alexie Linan turned from a golden boy into a genius. Julia stared at him with awe as her vow of knowledge proved right. Casca Reverse turned toward her with a smile before addressing her.
"Let us meet on another day, Master Julia. I wish to gain some of your insight in people and loyalty toward your friends."
Julia was too shocked to respond in time and instead nodded without much thought. Casca turned toward Alexie and gave him the weapon, looking at him with awe.
"As I promised, I consider you as an equal. That encryption of yours was marvelous. I will never ask for a deciphering method, but a cup of tea would be great."
"Julia and I would love to drop by," said Alexie as he turned toward her. "However, I doubt she has the time for babysitting me."
Her face blushed as he raised her status even further. Casca raised his brows before laughing, apologized again, and retreated toward his family. The crowd stared at the two of them as Alexie walked over toward her.
"I know this is a rune-less artifact now, but I want you to have it," said Alexie as he presented her with the saber. "It can be a memento of the time we became friends. Your grandchildren will treat it as an heirloom."
Julia blinked her eyes at him before realizing he was joking with her. He used to treat her coldly, but the moment she proved herself, it felt as if the ice mountain thawed.
"My grandchildren will be too busy defending my glorious heritage," she rebuked but received the weapon nonetheless. "I would have made a lot of money selling this to the Reverse Family."
"Your heritage seems to be broke," shrugged Alexie before Julia's father interjected their conversation. Her father stood by her side, looking at Alexie as if he was a gem.
"It seems the two of you are getting along quite well," smiled her father with pride, and Julia knew his next words. "Dear Alexie, about that encryption that you used…"
"I heard him mention that a blood oath prevented him from sharing it," said Julia in a hurry to prevent her father from pressuring him. Alexie glanced her way in realization and nodded in agreement. "I tried to steal it from him, but he is a tough nut to crack."
"I would have loved to share it with the great Vinera Family, but my hands are tied," said Alexie with helplessness. "A silly encryption pales in comparison to your daughter's beauty."
Her father seemed unconvinced, looking at them with squinting eyes, but gave up nonetheless. Julia knew that the other families would try the same thing, so she had to pull Alexie away from them and escape outside.
Oriole was among the rankers as they left the party, still trying to make Alexie into a martyr who gave up on his creation for the truth. Julia and Alexie overheard their conversation and held back their laughs until they left the hall.
"You chose me over your family," said Alexie as soon as they were outside, beneath the starry sky filled with runic lights. "I never thought of you as a friend."
"And I never thought you were so mesmerized by my beauty," she smiled and probed. "Is it worth more than your encryption?"
Julia had no plans of snatching it from him, only to tease him. She expected him to mistrust her or get angry, but his reaction was no such thing.
"I will give you the encryption if you want it."
Julia paused as she heard him, and when she looked into his eyes, she knew that he was telling the truth again. It made her uneasy because it looked like another test of his, but he read her mind.
"This is not a test," said Alexie. "I told you that I am grateful, and an encryption is nothing between friends. You earned my trust."
Julia felt a great weight on her shoulder as she heard his words. His trust in her was unwavering, and it was greater than her father's trust in her. Moreover, this trust came without conditions or strings attached.
"I will do fine without it," she shook her hand in refusal.. "This encryption is yours, and it should forever be that way."
