He truly is that man's son.
A Rune forever etched in Graveths memory. The Bloody Sun that had sunk in blazing glory had once again been born.
My Lord, I have not failed you. Your bloodline has truly been inherited.
Graveths eyes were clouded over with sentimentality, if his mentality was any weaker he might have wept for the second time since adulthood. However, as someone who led the Silver Moon and experienced horrifying wars, it took only a moment for him to regain his clarity.
“Hurry and integrate it.” Graveths husky voice, seemingly cracked and weighed with tiredness broke the silence.
“Now is the easiest part. Call out to the Rune, guide it and brand it upon your body. I would advise you to choose a body part that won't be easily lost, not unless you want to lose your rune with it.” Sheart too was tired from the exertion.
Sparing only a single moment to continue admiring the jade like piece, Toale removed his coarse tunic before beckoning the Rune towards him. Though he had just awakened, he knew from others that a Rune could be mentally commanded, as one would their arms or legs. Despite this the feeling itself was disconcerting, as if moving a disembodied limb, instinctive yet foreign.
His control still crude, he mentally commanded the Rune to navigate itself before landing lightly over his heart, the centre of the rune falling where the star shaped scar had appeared. At first there was no discomfort, the experience of a disembodied limb faded as the rune integrated with his body. But Toale didn't dare to let his guard down as he knew that to Consume a rune was not so simple. He was right.
The following was an unimaginable pain. It was as if being branded by a red hot iron both inside and out. The wound that had recently healed was blasted open, the newly grown tissue torn apart and burnt by the burning blood. The flesh around this wound was burnt black bringing waves upon waves of mind numbing pain.
The true face of Blood Consuming wasn't a person consuming a Rune but a Rune consuming a person - forming a bond with the body and feeding off the blood, strengthening itself. It could be placed anywhere, forming a bond at any place, yet the connection was the greatest at the heart as this was the nexus of the circulatory system, granting the greatest benefits for Body Enhancers. It was widely acknowledged that the heart nourishes blood and the brain nourished the soul - thus mages branded their temples while warriors focused upon their heart.
Sheart and Graveth watched impassively at the writhing body that thrashed on the floor. The hoarse screams falling upon deaf ears. It was a common sight, warriors branding their heart despite the difficulty and it was a widely encouraged norm. This was because the Runes would never cause irreversible harm to their bearers intentionally if they were not defects. This also meant that for a single moment of pain, of the body being reforged, was the price to pay for a lifetime of potential. Who would be foolish enough to give up such an opportunity? Besides, the pain was at such an intensity that many warriors or mages passed out thus not enduring the majority of the torture.
Toale too passed out, he may have a strong body and mind tempered through years of arduous (and forced) training but he was still young and weak, not expecting the magnitude or intensity of the distress. Eventually his body stopped twitching and though it spasmed frequently, this too died down with the heat and feeling of power that emanated from his chest.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Have him tended and see to it that he has rest.” Graveth turned to leave, his face bearing an unintelligible expression. Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Inform the band, we leave tomorrow at dawn.”
Sheart glanced quizzically as his superior before returning his gaze to the body lying prone on the ground.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alayen Lain was a high noble and confidant of the Urcan King. As a companion who had journeyed with him through countless battlefields in their youth, he was viewed by the Urcan King with extreme importance and unshakeable trust - one of the very few.
At this moment however, he had none of his usual demeanor, his flustered appearance raising questions in the minds of the servants that surrounded him.
“Hurry! Send a message to his Lord.” Sighting the Palace Steward, Alayen moved quickly towards him. “Inform him, he must return to Silverhill at once!”
Seeing the Lord's’ disturbed expression, the Steward didn’t dare to tarry. If he couldn't tell that something major had occurred then wouldn't the years he had spent as the most powerful servant in the Empire have been in vain?
Calming down after sending off his order, Alayen regained his usual infallible demeanor. Truthfully, among all the Crimson King's companions, he was the most level headed, neither torture nor emotions could shake his mind, his strategies and tactics brilliant to behold, praised as being birthed from the brains of the Gods themselves. Yet there was only one thing that could bring him to his knees in fear - A Bloody Sun.
A Bloody Sun that had just lit up, struggling against its restraints, attempting to escape to the south.
A Bloody Sun bound for eternity upon one of the Divine Treasures, the legacy and seat of the Urcan Kings - the Runic artifact, Throne of Graves.
How is it possible for that Rune to react? I'm certain that all of them were executed.
He shivered as he remembered the words that haunted him.
Birthed from the Bloody Sun
Ten Blades to Slay Nirvana
Forevermore Shackled
Damned, an Eternity!