TWENTY-FIVE
“You look like shit,” Benny said as he entered Kon’s rooms. All Kon could do was groan and try to keep the light out of his eyes as he struggled to process where he was. Or how he got here.
“Never try to keep up with Alice.” Kon’s words were meant with a bark of laughter as Benny grabbed his disciple and pulled him upright. Kon’s stomach rebelled from the fast movement and he fought to keep down the bile that wanted to surge up. Benny’s wide smile wasn’t helping Kon’s foul mood as the old man looked him over.
“Got a bit of lipstick there, boyo,” Benny said as he wiped at Kon’s cheek. He didn’t remember when that had gotten there but he thought he remembered the woman who had left it.
“Let this be a lesson. Don’t try to keep up with an experienced Knight in debauchery. Especially one who can heal themselves,” Benny said with another low chuckle.
“You are better,” Benny said after he finished his laugh and Kon could feel his body changing, energy filled him and there was a sense of balance or things lining up to snap into place. His headache dissolved instantly and his oversensitive eyes finally stopped screaming while his stomach settled down.
“Won’t be able to do that too much longer. Your strength is creeping up quickly. Might have more energy than you do if you can’t progress your body cultivation until you implant the second rune. If you can keep moving forward with body cultivation, I doubt I’ll be able to affect you at all after a session or two,” Benny warned him.
“Not without unsealing yourself? Like you did when Daniur went wild?” Kon asked. Benny stilled and frowned for a moment before he nodded.
“That took a lot out of me and the seal isn’t as good as it used to be. Time ravages me once more until the seal stiffens. I weaken further.” Kon froze at his master’s admission, as a bit of horror leaked through him.
“How much weaker?” Kon finally managed to get the words out.
“Hard to tell. Still weakening even as we speak. The seal will reaffirm itself in the next few months and I’ll have a final approximation but something like low D-Grade rather than upper or peak like I was.”
“I’m sorry, Benny,” Kon said, bowing his head as guilt panged through him.
“Why? For giving me hope for the first time in centuries? My life has been lived hundreds of times over and finally my goal is in sight. I’ll burn myself into cinder without hesitation or regret if it means we can return home. Which means you need to grow and learn and experience life. Just know that my guard rail will soon be gone and with your rate of growth Alice won’t be able to keep up either. We can finish her web and get her into the C-Grade relatively easy, but after that it’s going to take time. By the end of this war, only Daniur will outstip you in pure power. At least amongst our allies,” Benny added the last part as if Kon was going to forget Delano Sommers or the shadow cabal they’d begun to hypothesize was out there.
“Unless you burn up what’s left of your life,” Kon finished for him.
“Yes. While I would love to see mother again, if it guarantees your success, then I shall do it.” Benny’s smile had turned almost paternalistic as he gripped Kon’s shoulders and once again Kon felt the weight of the last son of earth. Millenia of experience, of pain, of driven, relentless, survival. All for the goal of seeing the homeworld one more time.
“Let’s get to it then. We have a rune to implant,” Kon said, seized by the urge to get up and move, to push forward their goals even by just a fraction more. Benny slapped his arm and rose, leaving Kon’s room before Kon could slip on his normal clothes and follow after him.
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The manor was empty, Alice having found company with a ruddy-faced couple who had been pleased with her advances and had invited her back to their quarters. None of the mages came to Benny’s quarters and the Squires had yet to arrive. Maybe once they were fully established Benny’s private quarters would be turned into a headquarters, but for now it was just the two of them.
Kon pried open a spare door where he’d been working on the rune, the privacy needed for the delicate work. Benny was already inspecting it, running his eyes over every single line and delicate curve. There were hundreds of them, all wrapped around each other into a nearly indecipherable mass. Aside from Truth, it was the most complex full rune that Kon had seen.
“You sure this is the one you want?”Benny asked. Kon grunted but couldn’t deny he’d had his own self-doubt about his choices after reviewing everything that Benny had in his grimoires. Which was a lot. More than any one person could ever use.
“The more I understand it, the more it will awaken for me, right?” Kon asked. Benny waggled his hand back and forth.
“The primary intent is what will be the driving force of the great rune but it’s not limited like lesser runes. It can hold many different intentions since it is the sum of all that concept. The weak point is you; how well can you use it? Overtime as your grasp on it grows, then you’ll be able to do more with it. Having a full grasp of a concept like this is foolhardy, nobody would ever be able to implant a rune. Think I understood Truth completely before I implanted it? I still don’t understand it completely, but my intentions are wide enough I can draw forth a lot of power out of it,” Benny explained.
“Then yes. This is what I want. Unless Space is suddenly available?” Kon asked. Benny snorted and shook his head violently.
“Too powerful of a concept for your early work. You’d need at least a C-Grade treasure to begin powering it, anything less is a waste of time and resources. This can work if you’re planning on doing what I think you are,” Benny said. The old man had been true to his word, not working with Kon at all as he discovered the intent of the rune, imparting it with every session he’d worked to carve it, fearful of tainting Kon’s works.
“You generally do know what I’m planning,” Kon said and Benny chuckled again as he backed away from the floating metal rune. Even after the session required to shape it, its strength always took Kon by surprise, pushing against him and threatening to overwhelm him if he faltered for even a moment.
“What’s next?” Kon asked, rubbing his hands together to try to burn off the nervous energy beginning to fill him.
“It can’t be worse than body cultivation.” That was the only thought that kept him from wavering.
“Strip your shirt. With lesser runes you focus on a part of your body, but that can’t work with greater runes. This is a concept that will become a part of you. You’ll notice over time it bleeds into your body, affecting you. Alice heals faster than normal, she’s constantly in motion and she grows acclimated to her surroundings with ease. That’s all passive for her. The more greater runes you have, the more passives accrue, but they begin to balance themselves out to an extent. As your first rune this will have the most impact on you. Are you still sure of this rune?” Benny explained.
“Yeah. I’m positive.”
“And you’re not doing something with long term repercussions to solve a short term problem?” Benny asked, a hint of a challenge in his eye.
“The opposite. This if for both short term and long term benefit. I’m ready, Benny.” A hint of something sorrowful filled Benny’s eyes as he shook his head.
“I’m sure you are. Now, lose the shirt and lay down,” Benny pointed toward the bed and Kon did as was ordered, his bare skin touching cold sheets as he looked up at the gray walls.
“Knights are not trained. They are forged. Cadets become Squires and Squires become Knights. Each step of the process has a watershed moment where those who are worthy continue on, and those who aren’t are left behind. This is the moment you become a Knight. This is your watershed moment where we find out if you are truly destined to be a Mage Knight,” Benny whispered, solemn duty in his voice as he reached over and brought the floating mass of metal to hover over Kon’s bare chest.
Kon stared at the silvery shape and his heart beat harder, each pulse of it sent spikes of adrenaline through his body as he breathed deeply, trying to calm himself as the metal inched lower and lower, until it was bare centimeters from his skin.
“You have crafted this rune with your own will, imparted it with your knowledge, shaped the concept with intent to bind to yourself. Unlike previous runes you will not focus on a body part to bind this to you.” Benny’s words hung as the metal began to brush at his skin, each whisper like touch sent a lance of pain through him as he struggled to contain his worry.
Then the metal fully met skin and began to burrow through it, pure energy and intent melting through flesh as it sank deeper and deeper. Kon found the meditative state needed to view his metaphysical body and could see the silver avatar with blood red runes. Behind it, where before there had only been darkness, a star was being born. Power lashed out, shaping the world his avatar existed in as it began to take shape. Benny’s words came through the haze of pain and his trance with ease.
“Your only focus is to survive.”