Novel Full Chapter 837: Runes [5]
Chapter 837: Runes [5]
“Outer… Hand?”
I stared at the notification in front of me for a moment.
That name…
’This isn’t a coincidence, right?’
I didn’t think it was.
In fact, the more I thought about it, the less likely it felt like a coincidence. This made me look at the spell more carefully.
Now that it had upgraded to a ’Superior’ spell, it was a lot more intricate.
The number of runes that were present was more than before.
Not only that, but right in the middle, I could also spot two particular runes that coexisted with each other.
Although they rotated clockwise against each other, I could feel a certain power coming from it.
One that smoothly and effortlessly channeled from the Source.
’I think I’m starting to get this better. The Runes are simply a medium for one to use the Source power. As of right now, I possess two Runes. However, I’m sure there’s more Runes out there. How many are there… I don’t know. However, if I were to integrate the new Runes into my spells, then…’
I drew a cold breath.
The possibility made my heart race.
I suddenly started to understand what I needed to do better.
Not only did I have to improve my knowledge in Runes, but I also had to ’collect’ or ’find’ the remaining Outer Runes. The more I collected them, the more I’d be able to integrate them into my spells, and in turn use the Source power.
’…This might be the only way for me to fight against Sithrus and the Outer Beings.’
The only issue was that I didn’t know where I could find more Runes.
Could they even be found? And how many of them were there?
“No, it doesn’t matter. As of right now… I have two.’
Evolution-OR
Containment-OR
These were the names I had given them for now.
They were terrible names, but I wasn’t the best at naming things.
I was aware of this and purposely did it.
After all, the worse the name, the easier it was to remember.
’Genius ’
“Okay.”
My hands tingled as the spell before my eyes glowed faintly.
“Let’s test this.”
Channeling my mana into it, I watched as the runes all lit up before my very eyes. The mana inside my body started to drain rapidly as a result. Subsequently, my hand began to vibrate, and a black film slowly enveloped it.
At the same time this happened, I could feel the lingering connection with the Source that I had strengthened.
The spell directly drew from the Source as the dark film that covered my hand grew even darker.
So dark that it started to absorb all surrounding light.
’Yes, I can feel it. This is way different than before.’
The power that the spell held…
It was far greater than in the past. Not only that, there was still room for improvement.
This was definitely the right path!
This was—!
“Hm?”
It was amidst my actions that my heart shook.
All of a sudden, the spell, which was starting to show its effects, started to crack.
Cra Crack!
The cracks were thin at first, but with every passing second, they deepened, spreading like fractures through glass. And with them, I felt my connection to the Source begin to fade, thinning as if slipping through my grasp.
’Hmm.’
I didn’t panic, no… I was still unable to panic.
’What’s going on? Why is this happening?’
I was certain that I had been doing everything correctly. The spell had also worked, and the notification that came with the completion was further proof of this.
So why…?
Why was this happening?
Cra Crack!
I tried everything that I could think of to stop the cracks.
I poured more mana.
Tried to stabilize the structure while also pulling all of my attention on the spell. I immersed myself in its structure, trying to analyze the runes, but the more I looked, the more surprised I was to see that it was all progressing well.
So… why?
Why was this happening?
“This makes no sense. What is h—”
CRASH!
Like fractured glass, the magic circle splintered apart before my eyes, its shards scattering into nothing as I stood there, unable to react.
“…..”
For just a moment, the surroundings turned quiet.
I was unsure of how to react.
“It shattered…? Just like that?”
But why?
Why did it suddenly shatter?
I knew that the spell had worked. Both runes co-existed with each other.
Frowning, I forced myself to remain calm.
No…
It was more like I was still unable to react properly.
My emotions were still relatively numb.
“Let me try again.”
I calmly circulated my mana again, repeating the very same process. While the situation was indeed worrisome, it wasn’t the end of the world. I had time. I could try again.
’But what’s really concerning is the reasoning behind the sudden shattering. I’m still not sure why exactly it happened. Did I miss something? What is it that I’m missing?’
Casting the spell, I paid more attention to the structure and everything that I was doing.
I watched as each rune lit up with the addition of my mana, and carefully looked at the two Outer Runes that spun clockwise of one another. The entire process was quick, and through my observation, there didn’t seem to be any problem.
So then…
CRASH!
Why did it shatter again?
“…..”
Staring at the lingering fragments of the spell in the air, I blinked a couple of times.
“What did I do wrong?”
I opened up my system window.
——●
[Julien D. Evenus]
Level : 80 [Tier 8 Magician]
Exp : [0%-[31%]-100%]
Profession: Magician
﹂ Type: Elemental [Curse]
﹂ Type: Mind [Emotive]
Spells:
﹂ Perfected type spell [Emotive] : Sadness
﹂ Perfected type spell [Emotive] : Anger
﹂ Perfected type spell [Emotive] : Fear
﹂ Advanced type spell [Emotive] : Surprise
﹂ Advanced type spell [Emotive] : Joy
﹂ Advanced type spell [Emotive] : Disgust
﹂ Advanced type spell [Emotive] : Love
﹂ Superior type spell [Curse] : Outer Hand
﹂ Intermediate type spell [Curse] : Shackles of Alakantria
﹂ Intermediate type spell [Curse] : Nightmare Hex
﹂ Intermediate type spell [Curse] : Immersia
﹂ Intermediate type spell [Elemental] : Water Breathing
﹂ Advanced type spell [Body] : Gliding
Skills:
[Innate] – Foresight
[Innate] – Etherweave
[Innate] – Veil of Deception
[Innate] – Step of Suppression
[Innate] – Mana Sense
[Innate] – Eye of Existence
——●
Staring at the system window, my confusion only grew.
“I’m not wrong. The spell is registered.”
This made the situation even more confusing. If a spell was registered, it meant that the structure was sound and that there was nothing wrong with the spell. But for the spell to continue to shatter before my eyes…
“…Something is not adding up.”
And I could finally start to feel frustration building up through the numbness.
Looking around, my eyes lingered on the shattered mirror, but seeing that there was nothing there, I could only turn my attention to the spell once more.
“Let’s try again.”
The mana circulated inside my body.
A magic circle formed.
I paid attention to its structure.
I maintained my full attention on the spell.
But—
CRASH!
The spell shattered.
“…..”
I stood in silence, analyzing the situation before trying again.
But…
CRASH!
With each attempt…
CRASH!
I’d receive…
CRASH!
The same result.
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
The spell shattered, over and over again.
To the point where I lost count of how many times it shattered.
*Puff*
Before I knew, I had stopped.
I was standing by the apartment’s balcony.
Holding onto a cigarette, I watched as a plume of smoke drifted in the air.
CRASH!
The spell shattered once more in my grasp.
Over and over and over again. Each time I tried, I’d receive the same result. I tried all sorts of methods, but none seemed to work.
I was stuck.
…And there didn’t seem to be a way out of it.
I—
“You’re stuck?”
A voice suddenly echoed from behind me.
Taken aback, I turned my head, but I frowned when I didn’t see anything.
At least, that was until I focused my attention on the mirror once more.
“It’s you…”
The reflection in the mirror was staring back at me.
However, contrary to how it had been a moment prior, the malice that was written all over its face was gone.
Staring at the mirror, I finally realized what was happening.
’…So the reason why I’m stuck is not that the spell failed, but because of the trial.’
It all finally made sense.
Without thinking too much, I turned my attention back towards the night sky. The moon shone bright from above as I took another drag of the cigarette in my hand.
*Puff*
“Isn’t it strange that the people who give the most love are often the ones who never truly received it?”
The next words that came out of the reflection made me pause.
What was this?
A lecture?
I nearly laughed.
The numbness had faded to the point where I could finally laugh at the situation.
It gave me a strange sense of deja vu.
*Puff*
Taking another drag of the cigarette, I continued to stare at the night sky above. There was something about the quiet and the darkness that felt soothing to me.
I wanted to bask in it for a little bit longer.
But could I really do that…?
“They become gentle because no one was gentle with them.”
“They learn to soothe others because no one ever soothed them.”
“They listen deeply because no one ever asked how they were doing.”
My hand paused mid-motion, my brows unconsciously furrowing as the voice drifted quietly inside my mind.
I opened my mouth, thinking of a way to make the noise stop.
But before the words could leave my mouth—
“They bury their hurt so well that they silently hope someone will finally notice.”
The reflection spoke again.
This time, I felt the words get stuck inside my throat.
It was almost as if something was squeezing against my throat, making it impossible for me to speak.
What followed was a certain pain.
One that…
I wasn’t so familiar with.
It was one that came right from my chest.
“that they’re stuck, that they’re tired, that they’re carrying too much alone.”
My lips subconsciously quivered.
The pain grew more intense, making it harder for me to breathe as I lowered my head to stare at my hand.
Before I knew it, I started to create spells again.
CRASH! CRASH!
Just anything to take my mind off the situation.
To drown the voice away.
But could I really do that?
“People rarely understand where that kindness comes from.”
Stop.
“…Not from being taught, but from surviving pain.”
My chest squeezed even further as the cigarette dropped from my hand and I looked at the moon in the sky.
“Built in the quiet, on lonely nights, from wounds no one else ever saw.”
S-stop.
I wanted to make the noise stop.
It was annoying.
And yet—
My body refused to listen to me.
It was almost as if it were desperate.
Desperate for me to hear it.
“They give everything, hoping someone will eventually give just a little back, and they don’t ask for much. Just presence instead of loneliness. Acceptance instead of rejection.”
“H-ha.”
“But most people miss it, because they’re used to receiving the love without wondering where it came from.”
Suddenly, it grew quiet.
So quiet that I started to hope.
I started to hope that whatever this was, it was over.
But just as I turned around to look at the mirror, I saw a pair of eyes staring back at me.
“That’s who I am.”
The reflection spoke, pointing at himself.
It was also in that moment that I realized I was similarly pointing at myself.
“And nobody has ever said it to me, nor did I ever need to say it, but—”
The reflection paused, its gaze lingering over to me.
Soon—
“I love you.”
Our lips parted in unison, the weight in my chest only growing.
“And you never needed to earn it.”
“You’ve done a good job.”
“Learn to treat yourself with the love you give everyone else.”
“Be the one who shows up for you when no one else does.”
Cra Crack!
The mirror shattered fully.
The world turned white a moment after.
■| Lvl 3. [Love] EXP + 15%