Kharon with trembling hands read and reread the phrase, burning it into his memory. He then opened the window and looked at the giant rift which loomed over the city. Rift Bloom Day had already passed and the eye which encompassed the whole had already retreated, returning to it's silent slumber.
'I need to talk to Master Lodge... But, something is definitely off about this. I haven't learnt this, so how can I understand it?'
Sitting back down on his bed, Kharon spent a few minutes pondering over it, his mind whirled with countless ideas as he suddenly remembered.
'The mauseleum... When I first woke up, there were runes and symbols I could barely decipher. But I can actually understand them without issue now. Could it be that I regained my ability to understand them by studying runic magic? But what type of runes even are these; I need to ask Master Lodge.'
Picking out a shirt and trouser, Kharon placed them on his bed before having a shower and changing into them. He picked up the journal and placed it into a sling bag which he had received from Master Lodge after becoming his student.
As he walked out of the house, he quickly sealed the door before walking through Glimmershade Market. The smell of various spicies and local delicacies wafted through the air, the idle chatter between customers creating a cacophony of noise. But these all fell on deaf ears to Kharon who only had a single objective.
He quickly hired a carriage which brought him to Silverveil Ward in a few minutes. As he stepped out of the carriage, he swiftly reached Arcana Academy before being checked by a few runic security sentinels. As he walked down the wide hall, he walked by various familiar faces who seemed surprised by his presence but didn't make any comments.
Once he reached Master Lodge's office, he knocked at the door before waiting a few seconds. As soon as he heard the melodious voice telling him to enter, he quickly walked through the doors to a perplexed Master Lodge who's eyes conveyed a silent question.
Meeting his teacher's eyes, Kharon pulled out the journal from his bag and opened it to a specific page. He placed the journal on the table as he silently stared at Master Lodge.
"Is there something wrong with my journal? Why are you so interested in that page?"
Kharon retracted his arm as he crossed both of his hands on his chest before replying.
"The runes and symbols on that page. Do you know what they say?"
"I must say dear student that I do not. Well, not all of it but I did manage to decipher the first row. If you want I want tell you, but you would need to prove that you are ready to handle the meaning of these words."
"There is no need for that. I already know what they spell out. I am more interested in knowing why you have them written. Are you a worshipper of the rift?"
Master Lodge raised his brows as he slowly shook his head.
"I do not worship the rift, I am not one of those religious zealots; the rift whisperers. I merely took an interest in the rift's origin when I was younger. I am more surprised to learn that you managed to decipher those runes though. It is a subset of the language used in the Arcane Obelisk and so are the runes we use."
Kharon looked at Master Lodge with an inquisitive look as he asked, "Why don't we use these runes then? They seem to be more powerful somehow, more potent."
"It's exactly because they are more potent that they aren't used. Using or merely interacting with runic magic was considered taboo because of these runes. The second generation runic researchers had to find ways of weakening the potency of the original runes. Unlike today where a mistake in a rune can take the lives of a few people; in the past a mistake could kill tens or hundreds of people."
Shaking his head, Kharon answered back, "But as you said, the first generation were able to make things work. Who knows just how advanced Lunaris Haven would be if the ancient runes had been studied."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Master Lodge replied, "The first generation were very powerful, that is true. But they had a few slip ups here and there which were devastating. The only one who never made a mistake was Brighthart, but he isn't here anymore. If we knew his method on how to create perfect runes then maybe the ancient runes could be utilised. But the Brighthart family holds their secrets very close to their chest. They are one of the few people who can use ancient runes but they must do it in highly secured environment."
"I am guessing the Arcane Association also knows and utilises ancient runes for certain things. But if my guess is right, then why doesn't the association jus-"
"That's enough questions. Now it's my turn to ask. How did you decipher these runes?"
Kharon scratched his head as he answered, "I didn't decipher them. I could just understand them, that's all. I thought you were a rift worshipper, so I decided to confront you about it. Now that my questions have been answered I think I should take my leave. Thank you for your help in educating me sir."
Kharon picked up the journal and swiftly left the room as Master Lodge watched him leave before muttering, "That kid really is special... I don't even know if I should call him kid."
As Kharon walked out of the office, he saw a familiar face and walked up to him.
"Dorn? What are you doing here?"
"Raven! It's nice to run into you. I wasn't expecting to see you here today but I am glad I did. I came to speak to Master Lodge about your ritual preparations as they are finally complete. I was also planning on asking him to... Help me with something. I hope you are ready as the ritual can be done tomorrow or any day you feel ready."
"Wow that is great news! I would like to do it as soon as possible. So tomorrow would be a perfect. Aidan will probably take the day off to be at the ritual. I have also been able to prepare for my job as a beast hunter."
Dorn smiled as he said, "I am excited to see just how many beasts you will take down. I have no doubt that you will quickly become one of the best hunters in the association."
"Thank you; I hope I wouldn't let you down. I should get going as I still have some things to do, but I will see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Raven."
As Kharon walked out of the spacious building he quickly hired a carriage and was back home in a few minutes. He then began to pack his clothes into bag and cloak before storing his cloak. Once he was done he began making lunch for himself as he made some Lunaris Rice Balls and poured himself some Moonshadow Nectar.
He carried his plate and drink to the living room before switching on the Runic Memory Slate. He slowly ate his riceballs as he browsed through various channels. Deciding to watch something light hearted he went to a comedy program as he laughed at the silly antics the performer made.
'This will probably be my last time watching this. I should atleast enjoy the feeling of my emotions one last time.'
Kharon lips curled into a little smile as he felt a wet drop flowing down his face. As he continued to watch the program and laugh, more and more drops rolled down his face as he began to sob. The sounds coming from the screen sounded muffled and inaudible as Kharon curled into a ball.
'I don't want to leave, but I have to. I want to stay with Aidan, but I know it would only hold him back. I have been selfish for long enough now. He will do a lot better without me constantly him back and I will be able to do what I should have done from the beginning...'
Taking a sip of his drink, Kharon slowly stood up before eating the last riceball and finshing his drink in one go. The calming flavour slightly dampened his emotions as he washed the dish and glass before going to his room. As he sat at his desk, he began staring at the ceiling. He stared for what felt like an eternity before pulling out a white sheet of paper and a pen.
Slowly, he began to write. Every letter he wrote felt heavy, every stroke he took made his stomach sink. The faint smell of the parchment, the feel of the pen in his hand, they all felt insignificant. Once he wrote the final word, he knew there was no going back.
He pulled out a few more pages and wrote. After he was done with all of them, he gently placed them into envelops before using his aether to seal them.
"I guess this is it."
Looking at his right arm he took a closer look at the golden bracelet which had been given to him by Master Lodge as he went over the list of contacts he had. There weren't many; only 4 golden names could be seen. As he thought about what he was about to do, he sighed before clicking the last name as he said, "I will be ready tomorrow, Hollow King."