Kairin ran until the world stopped being a world.
The stones beneath his feet blurred into a single gray streak. His breath tore at his chest, his lungs burned, and every step sent pain through his bones—not physical pain, but something deeper, as if something inside him had been assembled incorrectly.
When he fell, it happened quietly.
No heroics.No scream.
His knees simply gave out, and his body struck cold stone.
Darkness.
He woke to a smell.
Dampness. Mold. Old stone that had not seen light for centuries. Kairin tried to move—and immediately winced in pain.
The runes on his arms had darkened.
Not extinguished—darkened, as if coated in ash.
"…That's bad," he whispered.
His voice was hoarse. Unfamiliar.
He lay in a narrow passage, its walls covered in worn symbols. Not like the ones used by the schools. These did not glow, did not breathe, did not respond.
They were… dead.
And that was exactly what had saved his life.
"Forbidden ruins," Kairin realized."The ones that don't respond."
The schools hated places like this.Here, runes did not obey the system.
He tried to push himself up—and blood spilled from his mouth. Something cracked in his chest.
The body is paper……but don't let it tear.
"Easy to say," he muttered into the darkness.
There was no reply.
Then—
click.
A quiet sound. Metal against stone.
"If you move again—you'll die," an old voice said.
Kairin froze.
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
Tall. Bent. Wrapped in a worn cloak. His skin was gray, like stone, and from beneath his sleeves showed runes so ancient they no longer looked like symbols—but like cracks in reality itself.
They did not glow.
They were silent.
"Who are you…" Kairin breathed.
The old man slowly tilted his head.
"Someone your schools marked as dead a long time ago."
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Kairin felt pressure—but it was different. Not hostile. Studying.
"Interesting…" the old man muttered."You're not torn apart. Just… poorly edited."
Kairin's heart tightened.
"You know…" He swallowed blood."You know what I did?"
The old man snorted.
"I felt it. Everyone who still remembers real runes felt it."
He sat down across from him, crossing his legs.
"Tell me, boy," his eyes glinted."Did you carve a rune… or did you remove a word?"
Kairin stayed silent.
It was a trap. He knew it.
"I…" he said at last."I just realized some things… are unnecessary."
The old man laughed softly. Bitterly.
"Fool," he said with strange tenderness."That's exactly why they destroyed us."
He reached out—and Kairin tensed, bracing for pain.
But the pain never came.
The old man placed his palm on Kairin's chest.
And Kairin's runes shuddered.
"Listen carefully," the old man whispered."You're on the edge. One step further—and your runes will follow the same path as your father's."
Kairin's throat tightened.
"Then why…" he gasped."Why don't you finish me?"
The old man slowly withdrew his hand.
"Because I once placed the same comma.""And never reached the period."
He stood.
"If you want to live—you'll stay here.""If you want answers—you'll survive."
Kairin looked at him through the pain.
"Who are you?"
The old man paused.
"Once, they called me a Runic Lord.""Now—I'm a mistake that refused to disappear."
He turned one last time.
"Rest, boy.""Tomorrow, I'll teach you the first rule."
"Which one?" Kairin whispered.
The old man smiled.
"Runes don't like being read out loud."
Darkness closed in once more.
And somewhere far beyond the ruins—
the hunt had already begun.