Chapter 96: Father's gift

Chapter 96: Father's gift

Noah had a lot of questions. Unfortunately, the list of questions he was willing to let be reported back to Father was considerably shorter than he would have liked. He pried Janice about the Torrins for a little longer, but she didn’t know any specifics about the family beyond their strained relations with the Linwicks.

He was tempted to press more about basic Runes to make sure he really understood them, but the questions would be too odd, even for a demon. Luckily, there was something that even Lee hadn’t known much about, which meant it was likely safe territory.

“Tell me about Master Runes,” Noah said. “And not just the basic information that everyone has. I want to know details. Why are they the way they are? How come there’s only one of each? We can start with those.”

“Nobody knows exactly why Master Runes are completely unique,” Janice replied, a tiny amount of confidence starting to trickle into her voice, bringing it a few inches closer to actually being audible. “There are a lot of theories, though. The leading one is that they are aspects of the universe made manifest.”

Why does that make them completely unique? And how come they function so differently to normal Runes when you Imbue them?

Noah frowned and elected not to say anything in response. None of the questions he could ask sounded particularly intelligent, and people tended to keep talking if you kept silent. Janice shifted uncomfortably.

“We aren’t sure why Master Runes are unique, so I can’t properly answer that question, but the manifest aspect theory lends credence to why they always exist. You can’t destroy part of the universe.”

Seems like a slightly weak argument, but I can bite for now. I honestly care a lot more about why they can’t be Imbued the same way normal Runes can. When I tried to Imbue Combustion, it wouldn’t work unless I used the whole thing.

“Does that have something to do with why you can’t Imbue parts of them?” Noah asked.

Janice nodded. “Yes. Master Runes cannot be split apart. They don’t grow weaker or stronger – though their users are often unable to harness the Master Rune’s true strength due to their own limitations. Master Runes are perfect constants. You cannot change or modify them.”

Okay, I’m actually starting to see the universe bit then. If they’re always the same, they’re basically like laws. Not sure why or how they’d get into a Rune in the first place, but that’s a bit too philosophical for a discussion where I need practical answers.

“That unchangeable aspect makes them difficult to Imbue, right?” Noah asked, choosing his words carefully.

If other people haven’t figured out you can Imbue a Master Rune in your soul and keep control over it, then I’m not going to be the one that gives it away. It seems like a conclusion someone probably would have come to already, but Janice needs to confirm that for me.

“It does,” Janice said with a nod. “There is only a single manner in which a Master Rune can be Imbued, and it involves binding it to your soul. This is what all Great Monsters have done. This sort of Imbuement provides a series of significant benefits that are not immediately apparent, but the drawbacks are extensive.”

And that answers that.

“Expand on that?”

“Well, Imbuing a Rune on your soul is very strenuous,” Janice said. She was talking confidently now, and at a tone that was just as loud as Noah’s. The more she spoke about Runes, the more outgoing she seemed to become. “Overdrawing its powers would inflict soul damage. The Imbuement itself could also inflict soul damage if it was done improperly – and that’s assuming your soul is large enough to hold the Master Rune in the first place. Typically, only Rank 3 mages have souls large enough to handle bearing a Master Rune.”

“Oh? What about the Great Monsters? Ones such as the Hellreaver – that wasn’t a Rank 3 monster, was it?”

“It is a Rank 2,” Janice said with a nod. “A fascinating specimen.”

Sounds like someone hasn’t gotten the memo yet. Whoops.

She pushed the book she’d been carrying over to Noah. He blinked as he picked it up. It was pretty heavy – a lot heavier than he’d expected it to be. Noah flipped it open, thumbing through the pages. There were dozens of Runes within it, and all of them were Greater Runes.

“What’s the cost?” Noah asked. “Or was this included with the information?”

“You can’t keep the book, but you are permitted to learn two Runes from it.”

Noah flipped back and forth through it. All the Runes were only Rank 1, and while he was working on figuring out what the next Runes he’d be Combining would be, he still wasn’t sure on the exact Runes he’d need.

On top of that, Noah couldn’t help but notice that the Runes in the book overlapped perfectly with the ones in his grimoire.

Wonder if that’s just the standard book they hand out or if he’s reminding me that he already has suspicions about the Runes I use?

“Is there a time limit?”

“He’ll be taking the book back tonight.”

Figures. That’s pretty clever. He’s trying to bait me into taking Runes that are relevant to my abilities because that would show him what some of my powers are. Lee said you can bind a demon if you know each of its Runes, and taking Rank 1 Runes from this would be a dead giveaway – especially if I was actually a demon.

“Did he say what I could do with them?” Noah asked, looking back up at Janice.

Janice frowned and shook her head. “No. They were gifts, to do with as you please. I do not believe he directly addressed what you were permitted to use your own Runes for.”

“And I don’t suppose he’s included any combinations I can have?”

Janice swallowed. “No, he hasn’t.”

She looks terrified. Does she expect me to rip her head off because she didn’t give me what I want?

Actually, that might be exactly what she expects. Maybe Father told her I was a demon... but what would he have gained from that? He doesn’t strike me as someone who does things arbitrarily.

Noah shrugged. “Fine with me. I don’t need them.”

“The Runes?”

“The combinations,” Noah replied, a grin crossing his lips. “But, as a matter of fact, I won’t be needing those Runes myself either. Since they’re mine to do with as I please – Isabel, Todd! Please come out here.”

Janice flinched as Noah raised his voice, then looked over her shoulder as the door to their room opened and the two students poked their heads out.

“Is everything okay?” Isabel asked, watching Janice warily.

“More than,” Noah replied. He tapped the book with a finger. “The two of you have just been gifted the opportunity to each learn a Rune from this book by Father himself.”