Luciel and Bambi resumed the rune reading session. Their eyes laid upon [Soul Embers], one of only two categories with a numerical value attached.
Soul Embers: [0/250]
"This must be experience points!"
Luciel shook his head, enduring her unseriousness.
"It's similar to the primary technique Resonants use for qualitative growth. Rin… something."
Bambi nodded.
"Rinforzamento. Sienese for reinforcement. Some call it Rinforzando because the standard procedure is to store as much Hollow Essence as possible before purifying it for better efficacy, which significantly boosts the potency of Echo Essence. But we usually just call it Refrain. The other two terms are way too long for no reason."
He contemplated her words. The musical terminology was the main theme of the discussion — Aria, Chorus, Symphony, and so on. Soul Embers, however, stuck out like a sore thumb. It was the only category that seemed exclusive to Luciel. Bambi controlled blood, so having embers in her soul sounded ridiculous.
Whatever the case might be, it would soon be revealed after he killed some Discordants.
"I see. Let's continue."
Bambi suddenly sat up straight, enthusiasm clear in her voice:
"Now comes the good part! Judging by the names, they must be abilities."
Luciel glanced at her with playful doubt.
"Why are you so eager? You're gonna sell me out to the Federation after this, don't you?"
Bambi's gaze sharpened, daring him to try.
He had to laugh it off, or a knuckle punch would come at any second.
"Kidding. Just kidding."
He averted his gaze toward the runes and willed the [Soul Bridges] to open each of its compartments.
Soul Bridges: [Flameborn], [Soul Conduit], [Ember Eyes]
[Flameborn]
[Kindled in fire, tempered by conviction, and uncorrupted by nature. Heat, pain, and passion form the core of your being. As such, you burn brighter than any flame.]
[Soul Conduit]
[You and the flame exist within the same soul. You are its proxy, the flame is your will.]
[Ember Eyes]
[Embers speak of unseen truths and lighten forbidden darkness. The flame ignites the hidden world behind your sight, weaving secrets in the dark where none but you may look.]
Luciel looked at his Bridges, then turned to Bambi.
"Can it really be considered a cheat code if they're all cryptic and frivolous like these?"
She looked at him awkwardly and shrugged.
"Well, uh… it's still something! We now understand that Bridges are your passive abilities."
Then, she added:
"And it's not like they're undecipherable. Flameborn might mean your fire is superior to others' — at the same level, at least, I believe."
"In the end, I still have to go through trial and error. The runes will help as a guide. I like that far better than whatever system you were thinking of."
Luciel had never expected the runes to be elementary, reading everything out loud. He believed leaving room for imagination was far better than following a textbook to the letter. It was this kind of overreliance that had worried him when he first saw the runes. He was afraid of its convenience.
Fortunately, the more he uncovered, the more relieved he felt.
Bambi nodded in agreement.
"Me too, actually. I don't think I would've grown to this extent if I had a system that spelled everything out for me. Your rune system feels cooler."
Luciel inwardly smiled, satisfied with their agreement.
"Any more comments about this?"
She shook her head.
"We'll find out as we go. It's not efficient if we just sit around and try to dissect everything. Application is still the most important."
"Agreed."
He had an inkling of what [Soul Conduit] and [Ember Eyes] entailed after two days of contemplation, but like Bambi said, there was no use in overthinking them.
"Alright. Moving on then."
Soul Verses: [Divine Fire]
[Your flame is the origin of life, the beginning of fire. It brings both salvation and ruin, depending on which path you choose.]
When he first read this description, Luciel knew his flame was special because it sounded epic.
Bambi hummed, still focused on the runes.
"So Verses are your active abilities."
"You know what it means?"
"No clue."
"Same."
And they moved on.
She rolled her eyes to the last one, and they beamed immediately. Luciel noticed her excitement and chuckled. He could guess this was her favorite part.
The Relics.
'Obviously, her greed extends to Relics as well.'
Relics were essentially rare magical items of the Shattered Realm. Unlike man-made objects, Relics were connected to the soul, thus they could be summoned or dismissed at will. The soul acted as a storage, housing these Relics; some could even restore them passively thanks to their soul's unique nature.
'I know for damn sure that greedy elf has at least twenty of them.'
Bambi grabbed his arm and shook it back and forth.
"Come on. Come on! Take it out! My Dawn!"
"Relax! I can't if you occupy my arm like that."
She didn't care one bit about its information like the previous ones. That's how he knew her greed couldn't be fixed, even if Laterano's god were to intervene.
After his desperate plea, she finally let go of him and sat tight.
"Your Dawn, my ass. Touch it once and say goodbye to your partner."
"Jackass!"
Luciel's eyes smiled with a dark gleam. Bambi's bravado evaporated in real time, and she quickly amended her words.
"Ahem. You're the best. I mean it."
He heaved a long sigh.
Luciel had already shown Dawn to her. It was the sword in the dream.
'I mean, what else could it be?'
He imagined his fingers wrapping around the sword.
Then, embers burned into existence. They coiled around his open hand and hardened in an instant. Like a ghost, Dawn settled into his palm.
He was right. The leather grip… he had never felt more satisfied.
'Hello, gorgeous.'
At the same time, Bambi's eyes widened like a puppy spotting a treat.
"I stand by my word. That's the best sword I've ever seen."
"I know."
For some reason, Bambi looked at him with dubious eyes.
"Oh, really? And what do you know about swords, huh?"
"Enough to comment."
She clicked her tongue.
"Tch. Sure. Anyway, let's check it out!"
Luciel nodded and commanded the runes to open a path to Dawn.
Relic: [Dawn]
[A sword crafted by your beloved, said to be drawn at the world's edge, where night breaks and the sun does not rise. Its light promised eternity, love, and a song to be sung, no matter the lifetime.]
Weight: Immeasurable
Type: Weapon
Stars: [Eternal Embrace], [Dawnbringer], [Sealed]
[Eternal Embrace]
[The sword cares for its master as dearly as it does its own existence, as does the one who crafted it. Such insurmountable love made the star eternal, never to fade. Whenever you suffer — from anything, even yourself — the sword wishes to be by your side.]
[Dawnbringer]
[The sword awakens surrounding Relics, amplifying their Weight and Stars as though compelled to rise with the coming dawn. Only those deemed allies may bask in its light.]
[Sealed]
[The dying stars will slumber on until a worthy symphony kindles their flame.]
Whenever the runes used "your" or "you" instead of addressing generally, Luciel could not help feeling as though it was talking to him. He felt the same about Scarlet's description.
If so, who was this "beloved"? He dared not to think about the old man being this mysterious figure.
Luciel's complexion went pale for even thinking about it.
Meanwhile, Bambi was giggling beside him like a madwoman.
"Who's this "beloved" of yours, hmm?"
She prodded him in the chest repeatedly.
"Did you have a hidden maiden somewhere I don't know about? Oh! Maybe you're secretly dating one right now!"
'This fucking…'
He grabbed her face and squished her cheeks together, forcing her lips into a pout and shutting her up.
"Wheh's th' maihen?"
Suddenly, he felt a strange dampness on his palm.
Her eyes shone with innocent delight. His eyes shone with the opposite light, full of disgust. He had never expected her to pull a move like that.
"You know it doesn't work on me, right?"
Bambi only shrugged.
He retracted his hand, wet in saliva. He quickly summoned the flame and dried it out.
Then, he moved to the main topic.
"Dawnbringer enhances nearby Relics. We tested that out already."
She answered with curiosity in her eyes, as if the whole shenanigan beforehand didn't happen:
"Yes. The Stars of my bow did enhance my abilities. But I still don't get what Weight means. I'm sure it's not the actual weight."
"Gotta test until we know then."
Bambi nodded and pumped her fist.
"Yes! In the meantime, I'll help you with Essence control."
Luciel nodded while dismissing Dawn back to his soul.
"When will the skyship arrive again?"
"In a day, at most. This season is quite bus—"
Before Bambi could finish her sentence, the ground shook intensely as if it was being uprooted. The trees surrounding the cabin bent in unison. Roots tore through the soil like surfacing veins, and the canopy shed its leaves in a violent spiral that climbed upwards.
But there was no wind.
Luciel sprang to his feet and went on high alert.
"Bambi. I don't think this is the skyship you talked about."
Bambi's grin slipped. She went quiet, eyes narrowing as she swept the line of trees. Her expression darkened, all playfulness gone.
"...Yeah, that's not our ride."
Bambi swallowed.
"It's a dimensional ship."