CH14 Greater Rune- OmniRune Core
***
It was another quarter of an hour after the Tribulation of Heavenly Secrets had receded that Alex finally stirred.
The ten-year-old boy jolted upright, clutching his head. A wave of vertigo washed over him, but it quickly faded.
"Alex, are you okay?" a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Lady Zora?" Alex blinked, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
"We should be asking you that," came another voice.
"Master." Alex immediately stood and bowed respectfully at Merlin's approach.
"What exactly were you doing?" the Legendary Mage asked calmly.
'What was I doing again?' For a moment, Alex struggled to recollect the sequence of events—but then it all came rushing back.
"Oh, I made a breakthrough in my Rune-Tech project..."
Alex launched into a detailed explanation, outlining the data transfer problem he'd encountered and the solution he had devised. He carefully described his thought process, his construction of the ephemeral array—what he now called a digital program—and the resulting compression effect. Most importantly, he mentioned the singular Rune it produced, one he had never encountered before.
"It radiated so much power I shudder to think what might've happened if it manifested in the real world."
Intent on showing Merlin the new Rune, Alex reached for the Moro Crystal—only to freeze in horror.
The crystal had disintegrated. All that remained was a fine pile of dust.
"Nooo!" His red eyes glowed faintly as despair surged within him.
The influence of his Furor Bloodline amplified the emotional impact. A deep rage and sorrow welled up in his chest, threatening to spiral out of control.
Suddenly, a wave of foreign mana washed over him. The heat in his blood cooled. His breathing slowed.
He turned and saw Zora embracing him, her eyes an icy blue as cold-natured mana spread across the room like a soothing balm.
"Have you calmed down?" Her voice was gentler now, almost ethereal.
Alex nodded stiffly. He sighed, a mirthless smile on his face. "Thank—"
He froze mid-word. Something heavy pressed against his consciousness. An unfamiliar weight settled on his mind.
He quickly focused his awareness into his Mindspace. What he saw there caused his expression to transform from solemn to stunned.
Then came a grin.
Then a laugh.
A bright, boyish, boisterous laugh filled the lab—tinged faintly with tears.
Zora blinked in confusion as the ten-year-old erupted into laughter, tears brimming in his eyes.
'Damn this body. How can you make a grown man cry like this?' the old soul within the boy cursed internally.
Whether it was the boy's physiology or something deeper that drew the tears, no one could say.
"Looks like you didn't lose your work," Merlin observed with a chuckle.
"Ehn!" Alex nodded, beaming. "Somehow... it moved into my mind."
Suspended within his Mindspace, as though it had always belonged there, was the Rune—the mysterious, incomprehensible figure formed from the compressed knowledge of all his basic runes.
Now that it resided within him, the Rune began to reveal its nature.
"This Rune... it's in a completely different class. It's unlike anything we've seen before." Alex's voice trembled with awe. "I can't even describe it with the geometry or logic I know."
"Can you recreate it?" Merlin asked, gently guiding the flow of thought.
"No," Alex shook his head. "Its charm, its essence—it's one of a kind. I might be able to copy its form, but not its nature. Still, I think I can create other Runes within the same class—though none as powerful."
He paused, eyes shining faintly. "And... I don't think it's complete. I can feel it yearning for something. It wants to be whole."
"Do you know what needs to be done?"
"I think I've got a pretty good idea," Alex nodded with quiet conviction.
Merlin folded his arms, his expression thoughtful. Then he said, "If this Rune is truly a new class—something beyond all known runes—then as its creator, the right to name it belongs to you."
Ordinarily, Alex would hesitate at the task. Naming things was not one of his strengths.
But this time... he already knew the name.
And he knew exactly why it had to be called that.
"The new class of Runes embodies multiple original runes," Alex began, standing straighter as he spoke. "They're clearly more powerful and effective than the originals, so I believe it's apt to classify them as Lesser and Greater Runes.
"Lesser Runes refer to the original runes currently in use—whether basic, intermediate, or advanced—while the newly formed class of Runes will be known as Greater Runes, to signify their superior nature." His voice brimmed with pride.
Merlin, however, said nothing. His eyes weren't even on Alex. Instead, they seemed to pierce through the fabric of space, gazing at some distant, unknowable point.
Unbeknownst to the boy, Merlin was witnessing something rare: the Natural Order itself acknowledging the classification. Lesser and Greater Runes had just become a recognised concept in the world.
Completely unaware of the momentous event he'd just triggered, Alex continued speaking.
"As for the unique Rune now residing in my Mindspace—its nature feels like it can encompass all other Runes. And, as my Rune-Tech development advances, I believe I'll be able to imbue it with self-altering properties. For that reason, I've decided to name it the OmniRune Core."
Boom!
A sudden thunderous sound echoed through his Mindspace.
Alex stiffened. He scanned the ethereal domain with urgency but saw nothing amiss.
Meanwhile, Merlin watched quietly as the Natural Order once again accepted the boy's declaration. The OmniRune Core now existed not just in thought, but as a recognised reality of the world.
"Names carry weight," Merlin said solemnly. "As the discoverer and pioneer of this path, it is your duty to ensure your creations live up to the names you've bestowed upon them."
Alex nodded, equally serious.
As far as he was concerned, this was merely one milestone along the road to Rune-Tech. He believed—no, he knew—that both Greater Runes and the OmniRune Core would evolve further as he moved closer to realising his ambitions.
"I'm even more intrigued to see what you'll show me seven months from now," Merlin added, smiling.
Zora gave him a curious glance but held her tongue.
"Alright then. We'll get out of your hair. Now that we know the explosion from your dorm didn't harm you, there's no reason for us to linger." Merlin conjured a portal with a casual wave of his hand and unceremoniously dragged Zora through it.
Alex was left standing alone in his disordered lab.
He glanced around at the mess and mused aloud, "The birth of the OmniRune Core must have caused the explosion that shattered the Moro Crystal. Luckily, the Rune latched onto my Spiritual Force and got pulled into my Mindspace during the process.
"The resulting explosion must've triggered the alarm that alerted Zora.
"Knowing how much she dotes on me, I wouldn't be surprised if she arranged for Tower resources to keep an eye on my dorm. That must be how she caught wind of the incident and called Master Merlin."
He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly.
"Since I'm not injured—actually, I feel better than ever—she must've healed me with a potion or spell."
Alex nodded to himself, satisfied with his deductions.
Too bad... he was completely off the mark.
-
Back in the Tower Master's office, Merlin and Zora stepped out of the portal.
"Why did you lie to him?" Zora asked, unable to keep the question in any longer.
"Because letting him know he triggered a change in the Natural Order wouldn't do him any good," Merlin replied flatly. "There's a reason the Tribulation of Heavenly Secrets erases the memories of all witnesses."
He looked out of the tower window, thoughtful.
"He's still young. Despite the maturity he's shown, he might accidentally let something slip—and if the wrong people hear of it..."
Zora's expression hardened. She understood.
"And even if that doesn't happen, I don't want him resting on his laurels just yet," Merlin added. "This was a coincidental discovery, not the culmination of his plan. There's no need to praise him prematurely. When he completes the plan—when he either creates something even more groundbreaking or refines this further—then we can tell him.
"Until then, silence is the best gift we can offer."
Zora nodded quietly, her eyes thoughtful.
Then, a sudden thought occurred to her.
"With this achievement, he should've met your requirements for proving the viability of his Rune-Tech," Zora said firmly. "There's nothing more to say if even the Natural Order itself acknowledges it."
"Fine, I concede. You're not wrong," Merlin admitted, his expression turning solemn.
'More importantly...' his thoughts continued silently, 'the blessings of the Plane have greatly enhanced both his body and his dual bloodlines. But in doing so, they've also worsened his bloodline conflict. I need to act quickly to stabilise his condition. I can't allow a talent capable of influencing the Natural Order to die from something we can fix.'
He looked at Zora. "Even without you pressing me, I already planned to open my vault. The baptism he received elevated his talent and potential. He's now just about worth spending my stash of materials on."
Zora smiled at that.
"But we can't rush it," Merlin cautioned. "I'll have to introduce the materials gradually. Some of them are far from palatable, so I'll rely on you to make sure he actually consumes them."
"No problem," Zora agreed easily. "Besides, Alex is mature enough not to throw a tantrum over bad-tasting food."
Merlin nodded.
With that settled, the Legendary Mage turned and stepped through another portal, vanishing to destinations unknown.
-
In the following days, Alex noticed a drastic shift in his diet.
Gone were the vast platters of food that could feed a small group. In their place were small—often bite-sized—parcels of highly condensed meals.
Alex might have been alarmed had Zora not personally brought over the first serving. Though she didn't explain the reason for the change, she made it abundantly clear that the meals were prepared with some of the rarest materials available, and he was not to waste a single crumb.
That included licking any leftover drops of oil from the container.
Another peculiar change was Asta's sudden absence during mealtimes. Previously, part of her job involved watching over him while he ate. Now, she had been given explicit orders not to be present during his meals.
In fact, Alex was told not to even open his food in the presence of anyone else.
Strangely enough, despite the drastically reduced portion sizes—barely half the serving of an average person, at most—he felt more nourished than ever. Full, energised, and strangely light.
Which led him to a concerning observation.
'What exactly is in this food...?' he wondered.
He hadn't had to visit the toilet since starting the new diet. Not once.
His body was absorbing every ounce of nutrients, leaving no waste behind.
Even Zora was in the dark about the ingredients. The meals were made exclusively by Merlin, who ensured every step of the process was tightly sealed in secrecy.
Alex could only suppress his curiosity and redirect his attention back to his Rune-Tech work.
After taking an extended break—which, in his hyper-driven mind, amounted to a whole day—he was back in his Rune-Tech lab, ready to dive in once again.
***