The two of them reached the second floor, which was similarly covered in dust. They did not ascend to the third floor but glanced down the corridor. One side of the corridor was lined with windows, while the other held a row of rooms. The main building of the sanatorium took on a concave shape, placing them at the center of the long side.
The doctor spoke:
"Miracles. If you can engrave the [Miracle] rune, it will definitely be a golden rune. All miracles stem from the stories and powers of the divine. Remember, the five righteous deities are the only benevolent gods remaining."
"Only remaining?"
shade seized on the key point and began to understand why he had first encountered "Miracle."
"Yes. In the past, there were many gods. If you join the academy, you will learn about this in the foundational course on divine lore. However, the powerful deities of old have vanished—some may have fallen, others left, and some were sealed away. In any case, only five righteous gods remain, and these deities can influence the material world, not merely as a symbol. Do not think of them as powerful ring sorcerers; they are true high-dimensional beings... I hope you understand what I mean."
shade's lips quivered slightly; he understood all too well.
"The ring sorcerers of the church of the righteous gods mainly specialize in the [Miracle] element. But beyond the righteous gods, many traces of the old gods still linger in the world. By engaging with these remnants and learning the stories of the old gods—with the help of 'another you'—you can also extract [Miracle] runes."
The doctor finally addressed the crucial aspect of the ring sorcerer's experience—the "voice in your head."
"The voice in your mind is essentially another version of yourself; it is not the true you, but it is indeed you."
The doctor emphasized this concept again, and once more, the sound of a woman's laughter echoed in shade's mind.
"This is the [Miracle] rune I engraved when I was at the first ring."
A white mist enveloped the doctor, revealing part of the brass ring of fate behind him, with golden runes shimmering into view.
shade fought through the pain in his temples to decipher the runes, recognizing the meaning of [Dust], which he had seen once before.
"The old god known as the [God of Dust], also called the [World Serpent], left behind this miracle. I learned its story through the academy, which allowed me to acquire the rune."
The golden light flickered, illuminating the ground in front of them, where a series of footprints appeared:
"But I am not suited for this miracle; I merely developed this simple oddity. The power developed from runes is called oddity, while the general power of ring sorcerers is called sorcery; this will be covered in your coursework."
Following the footprints, they moved forward, seemingly heading toward a target on the second floor.
"But you must remember that gods are dangerous. It's not that they harbor malice towards humanity, but rather that their very nature is too elevated. Engaging with any information related to gods can harm you due to the inherent pressure of their essence. It's like looking at the sun can hurt your eyes."
The doctor warned, adding:
"Desecration. If you can engrave the [Desecration] rune, it will certainly be a silver rune. All [Desecration] comes from those corrupt concepts and evil gods. But remember, they are not the five righteous gods, nor the vanished old gods; they are the evil gods.
Evil gods can be divided into two categories: some are very powerful and are remnants of the old gods, existing only as traces. Others are real but relatively weak, born from corrupt concepts and malevolent forces. They are indeed gods, acknowledged by the church of the righteous gods, but their power is far weaker than that of the righteous gods.
This is not mere boasting from the church, but a fact."
"So, to summarize, righteous gods are powerful benevolent deities acknowledged to exist, old gods are those that have vanished, and evil gods are both existing and non-existing malevolent beings? Are evil gods really terrifying?" shade questioned.
"Of course they are terrifying. While they are weaker than the five righteous gods, merely knowing about their power can drive ordinary people mad. The church's primary mission is to suppress the occasional appearances of evil gods and the ever-present cultists. However, the [Desecration] rune is not excluded; aside from evil gods, certain knowledge from the Fourth Age can also be extracted as [Desecration], with hidden books recording those terrifying stories. This is the mainstream method of extracting [Desecration] elements. Both [Miracle] and [Desecration] are related to gods and are bound to involve divine matters."
Currently, it was the Sixth Age, a fact that was not recorded in any of the books shade had seen. The texts and calendars only documented the years. However, shade knew it was the Sixth Age, as the voice in his mind had first emerged at that point, signifying it.
This seemed to reaffirm the uniqueness of the other.
"Now we are in the Sixth Age, while the Fourth Age was a time of darkness and chaos, which was extremely terrifying..."
The doctor spoke in a hushed tone, as if afraid of disturbing some lurking presence. In the mist behind him, silver runes flickered, revealing only a portion of the ring of fate. shade interpreted that exquisite rune as [Emotion].
As they walked down the second-floor hallway, which was equally covered in dust, shade and the doctor stopped before a series of unmarked rooms. They hadn't ventured to the third floor but instead focused on the long hallway. One side was lined with windows, and the other side held several doors leading into small rooms. The main building of the sanatorium formed a U-shape, and they were standing in the middle of its long arm.
The doctor broke the silence:
"Emotion. It's a powerful rune, originating from a terrifying tale in the Fourth Age. I'll never forget that story... I developed several oddities from this element. The simplest allows me to detect creatures nearby that harbor emotions."
Silver light flickered on the brass ring behind the doctor, and then he gave a firm nod:
"He's inside. He's terrified. It seems he knows we're here."
shade had suspected as much, given that the doctor hadn't made any effort to conceal his presence.
"If the voice in your head ever warns you of nearby [Desecration], do not hesitate. Run. That element is lethal."
The doctor continued to explain the basics of rune elements as they walked forward. shade now understood why he had yet to encounter "Desecration."
"Inspiration. If you can engrave the [Inspiration] rune, it will surely be a brass-colored rune. All [Inspiration] comes from civilization itself. Yes, civilization—myths, religious stories, heroic legends, and even fictional knightly adventures. Through specific mediums, you can extract [Inspiration]. It's an element of civilization, a symbol of the light of our world."
It sounded simple enough, but shade was certain that reading a few knight novels wouldn't suffice to master it.
The moment when he had glimpsed the world outside, with a spark igniting in his eyes, had come from his encounter with the [Inspiration] element at his doorstep.
"And it's not just our civilization. It's not even limited to human civilization. The cultures of past eras are also sources of [Inspiration]. This element can coexist with [Desecration] and [Miracle] because the history of civilization is inseparable from the power of gods. The gods have never averted their gaze from it."
Once again, part of the mist behind the doctor cleared, revealing the brass rune [Sweet Dream]:
"This is the [Sweet Dream] rune. For now, I can't explain its origin, but I am highly compatible with it. I'm going to use its oddity now—to put our target to sleep."
Soft light spilled out from the rune, though shade couldn't see its direct effects. Nonetheless, he trusted the doctor wouldn't fail.
They finally stopped moving and entered a room with no identifying markers. The room was clean but devoid of any visible occupants.
The doctor remained calm:
"Lastly, Whisper. If you can engrave the [Whisper] rune, it will always be an iron-colored rune. [Whisper] comes from many sources. The common belief is that if [Inspiration] represents the light of civilization, [Whisper] embodies the world's darkness. It is like a natural phenomenon, reverberating through the entire material plane. This element is acquired by encountering forbidden knowledge of the evil gods or by touching relics."
shade had witnessed a detective perish due to such a relic, which had allowed him to access the [Whisper] element after the man's death.
The iron rune gleamed, its meaning being [False Reality], the most complex of the four runes the doctor had shown thus far.
"This rune is my prize from a year ago, after resolving a Keeper-level incident involving a Class 3 relic. I don't fully grasp its power yet. For now, I mainly use it to dispel illusions."
Under the light of the iron rune, the pristine room gradually revealed its true state. Newspapers and planks blocked the windows from the drafts, and the floors and walls appeared to be coated in a layer of dried blood, filling the room with a stench of decay. Glass jars filled with human organs were strewn across the floor, as if part of some grotesque exhibit.
As the illusion dissolved, the foul odor hit them hard. shade's stomach churned, and he immediately understood why the doctor had made him skip breakfast.
Fighting back nausea and the mental strain of the grisly scene, shade's eyes scanned the blood-soaked room until he spotted a man peacefully asleep in the corner.
He didn't resemble a vagrant; instead, he looked like a student, clean-shaven and well-dressed. His face was refined, and his clothing was neat. One hand gripped a pistol, and the other held a brass box as he slumped in place.
"Baide Morrod, age 19, a student from Tobesk's Lorax Mechanical Academy. A year ago, he inadvertently came into contact with a Class 5 relic—what we call a Poet-level relic. It drove him mad, feeding off the [Whisper] element contained within. Since then, he's become a serial killer, targeting and abducting young women... This world is far too dangerous for ordinary people."
"So, what exactly are relics?" shade asked, forcing himself to suppress his horror and hold down the bile rising in his throat. The doctor, however, appeared unfazed, either because he had mastered his emotions or because he had grown accustomed to such sights. Neither of them made a move to step into the room.
"Relics are remnants from the past. They are the cursed artifacts from the previous five Ages—some formed naturally, while others were crafted by powerful beings from those bygone eras.
Remember, only relics from the first five Ages exist. To date, none from the Sixth Age have been discovered. But if you do find one, it might be enough to cover all your practical credits for the entire academic year... Relics are easily distinguishable from other alchemical objects. Only relics can harbor the [Whisper] element; there is no way for humans to artificially imbue an object with the [Whisper] element."
Both of them directed their gaze toward the brass box clutched in Morrod's hand—that was the relic.