The runes on the walls pulsated with energy. They writhed like snakes as they continuously changed form. Their brilliance intensified, blinding the eyes of all four.
Starting with those nearest to the duo in the chamber, Kay and the weak hatchling, the runes gravitated towards Kay. They travelled along his body, until they all packed themselves on every inch of his skin, from head to toe. No part of him was not covered.
Because of their brilliance, Kay had closed his eyes. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late to do anything. The walls were now ordinary, no runes were etched on them anymore. All light came from his body. He could not even look at himself. The light was too much.
The moment the runes etched on Kay, Zifara and Rune rushed into the room. Rune felt a foreboding. Something was not right.
The runes entered Kay as if water through a sieve. They went through the flesh and bones to his soul. They latched there like hungry parasites.
His soul rapidly shrank. His life force shrinked into a smoldering ember within a fraction of a second.
No! Not again, please someone save me! Please!
Kay sobbed in his mind. He could no longer even master the energy to say it loud.
From his past life, he had been bullied to death, and now he was being obliterated to death by some mysterious writings! He felt bitter at the unfairness of all this.
Zifara was the first to act due to her fast reflexes. She fed her life force into Kay, which was immediately attacked by the runes. She could feel the endless hunger of those runes! She knew her life force wouldn't be enough. If the kid died, her sister would die along with him. She gritted her teeth with determination.
It won't end like this. Not after I have waited for so long.
She thought to herself.
Meanwhile, the moment Rune saw Kay on the blink of death, one step from obliteration, only one thought crossed his mind.
I won't wait for another eternity to find an inheritor, I have to save this kid.
He blinked from where he was to where Kay was now leaning against the Hatchling. His life force that constituted his illusionary body was instantly eroded, and sucked into Kay.
At that instant, he had an epiphany, he knew what he had to do to save Kay.
Master, thank you for the time you had spent with me. I hope you will find it in your heart to grant Kay a place besides you until he has come of age.
Transmitted Rune to Zifara.
Zifara was stuttled by Rune's words. Rune had always been reluctant to call her his master no matter what. His pride reigned supreme. This! This....what did he mean?
By the time she realized what Rune meant, it was already too late. He had compressed his soul and rushed into Kay's dantian, and then rose through his body and merged with his almost gone soul. Only a small residual was left.
But that was enough. The runes vigorously attacked the newly merged soul. The energy was siphoned to the newly hatched dragon.
It slowly gained power over its body. When it realized that its anchor was in danger of dying because of itself, it immediately put a stopper to the channel.
Only a third of the newly merged soul was left. Even though its strength was superior to most cultivators of this era, it wasn't comparable to Rune's original soul strength. The difference was simply tremendous. What a loss!
Seeing Rune enter Kay's dantian, Zifara ceased her life force supply to Kay and pounced on Rune's soul, trying to bring him back. She knew once he had merged with Kay, both would be lost. That is Kay and Rune. Kay, because his soul was almost gone. And Rune because he had willingly gave himself up. He had given up on life. But the most thing that hurt Zifara the most was he had given up on her!
Her Soul strength followed Rune's soul with unprecedented speed. But alas, Rune had anticipated this. He had gone through the dantian so that his soul wouldn't be tracked from there when he merged with Kay's.
If Zifara wanted to stop the merging, she should know exactly where Rune's soul began and ended from Kay's. If she had surrounded Kay's soul with her soul strength, she would have risked killing the kid.
The only way was to surround Rune's soul with her soul power and stop him from merging with that of Kay.
By entering Kay's dantian, Rune avoided that risk because he knew his soul would be momentarily be surrounded by Kay's aura, which was void, in other words, Rune momentarily vanished,making it very difficult for Zifara to locate him.
And as he had expected, Zifara felt his soul vanish. She was momentarily perplexed. By the time she registered a small void bubble that had gone straight to Kay's soul, it was already... let's say regrettably a little too late, but nevertheless, too late. The two souls marked and became one.
Roarrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!
A tremendous roar blasted tones of stone ceiling away into the sky. Zifara was beside herself with unprecedented fury. She felt lost, cheat, betrayed and alone, but most significantly furious. She flapped her wings and gave another mighty roar that shook the heavens.
She shot into the sky like an arrow. Her deep blue scales shone brilliantly in the bright sky that could not be more contrast with her mood.
She roared a ball of white flame that outshone the bright sun. The ball incinerated the very air as it travelled up into the sky and into the clouds.
The clouds shook and hissed with the heat. Lighting streaked down as clouds collided.
....
"What happened!?"
In another place in the Forbidden Forest, an evolved ridgeback wolf was startled by the earthquake that followed a head cracking roar. It had been resting in a cave contemplating of how to expand its hunting territory when the Vernite-shaking roar collapsed its shelter. If it had not been for its quick reflexes, it would have been trapped in that hole of a cave.
Is this related to what Rune was talking about? This isn't making any sense, what really happened? It thought to itself.
This ridgeback wolf was none other than Grey. He had been saved by Rune from a group of silver wolves when he was but a cub two years ago. Ever since then, he had been following Rune wherever he went.
And now, as he ran in the direction of the mountain castle, he was thinking of who this Kay might be? What was so special about him that Rune told him that he was now free and can go live his own life, unless he wanted to follow Kay.
He could not wait to get home, not that he was far away to start with. It's just that he could not wander far away from Zifara and Rune's territory, as beyond this territory were savage beasts that would tear him into shreds before he even knew what happened! So he had always lived under the protection of Rune.
Wherever Rune goes, I will go! What is all this 'go-live-your-life-or-follow-Kay' nonsense! Who is this Kay anywhere!?
Within a few moments, the mountain castle entrance came into view. There were boulders everywhere. What could have caused this?! No, it can't be! He sped all the way to the castle entrance.