Chapter 24: Teaching the Language of the Runes
He leaned toward one of the candles that illuminated the room. He took it calmly, and without taking his eyes off Amelia, brought the reddish flame to his mouth. The fire disappeared between his lips, devoured as if it had been absorbed by a void. A second later, he extended his hand: red flames danced in his palm, illuminating the room like a new source of light that replaced the previous one, now extinguished.
Emma opened her eyes, impressed."That… that is not a common talent," she murmured, her eyes fixed on the flame.
She leaned closer, as if she wanted to unravel the secret of each spark burning in Richard's palm."Did you really only obtain it by ingesting materials?"
With a sharp movement, he closed his hand, smothering the fire. His short response tried to mitigate any attempt to continue the conversation.
Amelia looked at him with narrowed eyes. Though she decided not to press further on the subject. At least she believed he had partially told her the truth.
With that, her father would calm down when she asked him for information about Richard.
Richard was staring at the ceiling of his room. Things had changed… although he still did not know whether for better or worse. Was it an exaggeration to think so? He didn't think so. After all, the only thing that had improved in his life was that he now had food secured; everything else remained the same. His dependence on others was still a chain he could not break.
What had really changed compared to his past life? Richard let out a tired sigh.
The next day he had to attend a meeting with the other awakened ones of the barracks. They had to do a perimeter cleanup. In the end, Richard had to continue following the old law: be useful or be cast out.
They had kept him tied with a chain he could not break for quite some time.
The small fire in Richard's palm began to burn like a light in the small room. He had been intrigued since he had obtained the talent of the bandit who had attacked them. Since he had manifested it for the first time, he felt as though it grew stronger over time. It was like a small flame that had managed to receive fuel to burn brighter.
"Could it be possible that stolen talents could evolve over time?" he thought.
If so, maybe he could surpass the bandit himself in the mastery of his own power. However, he sensed a limit. His talent Corpse Plunder was barely rank F; most likely the Fire Fist would be stuck at that same rank before advancing to E.
"How frustrating… couldn't the talent come with a manual?" he muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
The fatigue was winning over him, and he was about to fall onto the bed when a knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Richard, my dad is waiting for you in the meeting room!" Amelia's voice sounded from the other side.
Amelia's comment left him stunned. Richard blinked three times, confused. Wasn't the meeting supposed to be hours away? He got up lazily and, after putting on his boots and the black jacket, opened the door. The clock on the wall confirmed it: it was barely three in the morning.
"I could swear it started at seven…" he muttered.
He tried to return to bed, but Amelia had already entered his room as if it were her own. She didn't even stop to look at the messy clothes in the basket; her eyes went directly to the desk, covered with papers filled with strange symbols, similar to the runic language of the artifacts.
"Good thing you got out of bed. Remember you told me you'd teach me how to read the language of the artifacts?" she asked, sitting in the chair without waiting for an invitation.
Richard looked at her with a frown. He didn't remember giving her permission, but neither could he throw her out immediately.
"Alright… but listen. What I'm going to teach you is not simple. While I'll teach you how to read it, if you make a mistake in something, it's like casting a curse. It could cause something unexpected to happen."
He took one of the papers and placed it in front of Amelia. The dark symbols were not written in blood as Richard usually did. Although he didn't need to, it was a requirement to better manifest the effect of the runes.
"This one, for example, is pronounced Kael. It represents stone or anchor. But if you join it with this other one…" he drew a new symbol next to it, "it changes to Kaelen, which means pillar or support. Do you understand?"
Amelia nodded, her eyes shining, absorbing every word.
"So it's like learning a dead language… although they have a similarity to the Nordic runes."
Richard stopped for a moment, surprised by the observation. Amelia was right: in appearance, they shared certain patterns, curves, and shapes that resembled the ancient inscriptions of the northern peoples. All of it tied to Michael, who before awakening his talent had been a fan of Norse mythology, or Asatru as they knew it.
"You could say so," Richard finally replied. "Some strokes are similar, but their origin and purpose are different. It's not enough to compare them. Here, each symbol represents the origin of every element present in the universe, whether seen or unseen."
Amelia tilted her head, trying to grasp his words. "So, is it like what modern science is searching for, the origin of all things?"
"Well yes, that's one way of looking at it." Richard took a piece of charcoal and began to draw an incomplete circle on the edge of the paper.
"They are not just simple letters or sounds. Each symbol is a concept. Stone, fire, wind, flesh, shadow, void… they all exist here, and by joining them, you are invoking the essence of what they represent. You could say it is… the language with which the world was written."
Amelia turned her gaze to the paper Richard had used."So if someone manages to master this language…"
"They could rewrite the rules," Richard completed, looking at her seriously.
For a moment, the silence grew heavy. Amelia seemed about to ask him something dangerous. Richard already imagined she would ask him to teach her how to perform runic enchantments. But while Michael argued about sharing knowledge like every great scientist whose only hope was to see science continue advancing without end, he was not a scientist.
"…although that would only happen if there existed some talent capable of making those fantasies come true."
Amelia looked at him confused. She didn't know if he was serious or if he was mocking her. After all, his explanation had been so detailed that she almost thought Richard could really do what he had said about manipulating the rules through the use of runes.
Richard pushed the paper aside and leaned back in his chair. He had said too much. He couldn't continue. The subject of the blood runes was a secret he couldn't share with anyone.
"For now, focus on the basics," he said in a lighter, almost carefree tone. "Pronounce correctly, remember the strokes, and understand how they join. If you fail at that, everything else is useless."
Amelia pursed her lips, as if she wanted to insist, but in the end, she stayed silent.
Richard was about to say something else, but the creak of the door interrupted him. Amelia turned, startled, and Richard lifted his gaze just as Noah opened the door to the room.
It was obvious they were father and daughter. These days, did no one knock?
"Richard. You can go, they're already waiting for you in the room," Noah reported with a commanding voice. Although traces of jealousy could be seen on his face, much to Emma's annoyance.
"Dad, it's not what you think," Amelia said quickly, rising from the chair. "He was just teaching me."
Noah's brow furrowed deeper. "At this hour, locked in a room with a boy…"
"James is also a boy," Amelia shot back in a defiant tone.
The answer did not seem to calm the commander. On the contrary, it made him let out a dry laugh, without humor. "James is no threat to my daughter's chastity."
* * * *
The conversation had been a headache for Richard. And it didn't seem to end as they walked toward the command room.
"By the way…" Noah broke the silence. "An apology for how I acted in the room. You know, it's a father's duty to worry about his children's relationships."
Amelia walked ahead of them, arms crossed, completely ignoring her father's words.
"Yeah, I understand," Richard finally replied.
He did. In his past life, he had almost been a father, and something in those words felt familiar to him. It didn't justify Noah's attitude, but he could sympathize with the man who apparently had lost his wife.
"Thank you…" Noah murmured, without adding more.
The rest of the way was silent.
Upon arrival, Richard lifted his gaze toward the doors of the command room. They were enormous, clad in black steel and reinforced as if designed to withstand a bombing. At first glance, they already imposed respect. Though one could feel the residual energy manifesting outside.
Suddenly, a strong explosion shook the floor beneath his feet.
"Those bastards!"
Noah's voice thundered like a roar. Without waiting any longer, he shoved the doors open violently. The metallic echo resounded through the hallway, and the command room was laid bare before Richard.