prynovel Chapter 8 Awakened Spirit Runes
Chapter 8 Awakened Spirit Runes
"Jump down."
The two words echoed in Karen's mind, each syllable as clear as an icicle striking a stone slab.
He glared at the black cat on the windowsill, then looked down at the still slightly warm silver spirit rune on his wrist. The archives were on the third floor, below which lay the back alley of the government office, paved with hard stone slabs. Jump down? That would be suicide.
But the black cat's deep black eyes remained unblinking, the silver specks in its pupils shimmering like distant stars. Its voice once again resounded directly in Karen's consciousness, its calmness bordering on cruel:
"Three minutes. Two minutes and fifty seconds. Two minutes and forty seconds. What are you waiting for? To wait for Roland to return with his entire team and use a more 'professional' method to strip away the spirit runes you just awakened? Or to wait for them to turn your little lion into a specimen?"
Karen's heart clenched as if gripped by an icy hand. He looked at Xiguang—the cub was pressed against his leg, its amber eyes filled with fear, but also with a strange…trust? Xiguang was looking at the black cat, its ears perked up, a soft, confused purr escaping its throat.
"You..." Karen finally found her voice, terribly hoarse, "What are you?"
"Now is not the time for introductions." The black cat's tail flicked impatiently. "Two minutes and thirty seconds. That thing on your wrist—the Resonant Spirit Rune—just unleashed a powerful energy pulse. The Order's detection arrays are like a hornet's nest has been stirred up; all the airships' tracking arrays are running at full capacity. Why do you think Roland retreated? Because he needed time to adjust his equipment and lock onto your 'Spirit Rune Characteristics.' Until he returns with equipment specifically designed to deal with Resonants…"
The black cat didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was clear enough.
Karen looked down at his wrist. Silver patterns flowed slowly across his skin, like living liquid metal. He raised his hand to examine it closely. The patterns were extremely intricate; even at this close range, he couldn't make out all the details. Some parts sank beneath the skin, while others were slightly raised, feeling slightly warm to the touch.
The strangest thing is that these patterns are changing.
It wasn't a drastic change, but rather an extremely slow, subtle adjustment. Some lines would suddenly brighten for a moment, then dim; some nodes would rotate slightly; some runes would flicker, as if breathing, or as if… calculating? Karen had never seen spirit runes that changed on their own. All the records in the encyclopedia clearly stated that once a contract spirit rune was formed, it was fixed. Unless the contract was broken or the spirit died, the rune would only become deeper and brighter as the power of both parties increased, but the basic structure would not change.
This is different.
He closed his eyes and tried to "feel" the lines on his wrist.
Then he froze.
It wasn't a visual "seeing," but a deeper kind of perception. He "felt" the structure of the spirit runes—not flat, but three-dimensional, like a miniature labyrinth of light, extending, branching, and intertwining beneath his skin. He "felt" the energy flow of the spirit runes—silver, warm, like a stream melted by moonlight, circulating along a specific path. He even "felt" the connection between the spirit runes and…something else.
There are two "lines".
A bright, warm, golden thread connected to his heart—no, not a physical heart, but some more conceptual "core"—and then extended outwards, connecting to Dawn. He could sense Dawn's condition through this thread: the cub's fear was subsiding, its wounds were slowly healing, a faint stinging sensation emanated from the burns on its abdomen, and the tear at the base of its wings itched as new flesh grew. He could even feel Dawn's intense dependence and trust in him, like a warm, fuzzy ball of light enveloping the other end of the connection.
The other line was much dimmer, an almost transparent gray, barely perceptible. It extended towards… the black cat? No, that's not right. It didn't connect directly to the black cat, but rather to the "space" surrounding it? Karen couldn't describe it accurately; the feeling was too vague, as if the black cat's very existence distorted some kind of rule around it, and the spirit rune had captured this distortion.
He opened his eyes and stared at the black cat in shock.
"You sensed it?" The black cat's voice seemed to carry a hint of approval. "One of the fundamental abilities of a Resonant Being: Spirit Vein Vision. It's not about seeing with your eyes, but about using spirit runes to 'perceive' the flow, connection, and structure of spiritual energy. Your current version is still very rudimentary; you can only sense the strongest connections and the nearest targets. But it's already enough for you to understand—"
The black cat's tail pointed out the window.
Karen followed the direction, closed her eyes again, and focused her attention on the spirit runes on her wrist.
This time, he "saw" it.
Not with the eyes, but through spiritual runes, the image projected into the mind: the outline of the government building was a translucent gray, with faint points of light moving inside—residual psionic energy, perhaps an old lighting array, or perhaps a talisman carried by some clerk. Further away, towards the plaza, three enormous, dark red orbs of light were fluctuating violently; those were the engine cores of the airships, their psionic output rapidly increasing. Surrounding these orbs were dozens of smaller, deep red dots of light—soldiers, their armor and weapons radiating the same unsettling psionic characteristics.
Among all of these, a sharp, pale beam of light shot out from the top of the largest airship, slowly sweeping across the town.
The beam of light swept across the government affairs hall.
Karen felt a sudden heat surge from the spirit runes on her wrist. The pale white beam of light seemed to "stick" to the building for a moment upon contact, then began to contract, focus, and finally lock onto—
Archives.
They locked onto him.
No, to be more precise, it was locked onto the silver spirit rune on his wrist.
He could "see" the beam of light, like a needle, pierce the walls of the government office, penetrate the bookshelves, and pinpoint its location on his wrist. The beam's tip expanded into countless fine filaments, like plant roots, attempting to penetrate the structure of the spirit rune, analyze it, mark it, and lock onto it.
"They're establishing a tracking anchor," the black cat's voice became urgent. "One minute and forty seconds. Once the anchor is complete, they can find you even if you escape into the rift in the spirit world."
Karen opened his eyes, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Although the sensation had only lasted a few seconds, it had been incredibly taxing; he felt dizzy, and that translucent, luminous liquid welled up in his nostrils again.
Xi Guang nuzzled against his leg, conveying her concern. Karen looked down and saw her own pale face reflected in the cub's amber eyes.
"Jump down..." he murmured, repeating the black cat's words, then shook his head violently. "There are stone slabs below! I'll fall to my death!"
"You won't." The black cat jumped down from the windowsill and landed in front of him, its deep black eyes fixed on him. "The first complete awakening of a Resonance Body's spirit rune is usually accompanied by a 'concept endowment.' The protective force field you unleashed just now to protect the lion cub—it's still there, just subdued. What you need isn't the courage to jump, but the belief that it can protect you."
Karen was stunned.
He recalled the scene from just now. The light membrane spread out from his wrist, freezing time, extinguishing the azure flames, and shattering Roland's sword into dust. That power... is it still there?
He raised his wrist, gazing at the silver spirit runes. The runes continued to flow slowly, radiating a gentle warmth. He tried to "summon" that feeling from before—that intense desire to protect the dawn, to block everything.
Nothing happened.
"That's not how it works." The black cat's voice rang out, tinged with a hint of helplessness. "Concept endowment isn't a switch; you can't just turn it on or off as you please. It's the manifestation of a certain 'definition' deep within your soul. What was your definition just now? 'Don't kill him,' right? A pure, protective denial. So the spirit rune responded to your definition, creating a force field of 'denying harm.'"
The black cat paused, then gently patted the ground with its tail.
"Now, you need a new definition. A definition of 'falling'."
Karen stared at it blankly.
"I do not understand……"
"One minute." The black cat looked up at the window. The roar of the airship's engine was getting closer, and the shrieking of the rotor blades cutting through the air could already be heard. "Listen, human. The reason why resonance bodies are rare is that they are not simply 'power,' but 'containers of possibility.' Ordinary spirit masters have their abilities limited by their spirit runes—fire spirit runes are for controlling fire, water spirit runes are for controlling water, and they can never transcend this framework. But a resonance body... your spirit runes are a blank canvas. What paint you use and what pattern you draw determines what abilities you will possess."
It took a step closer, its deep black eyes like two black holes leading to the night sky.
"You've just drawn the first stroke: 'Protection.' Now you need to draw the second stroke: 'Safe Landing.' It doesn't need to be too complicated, you don't need to think about physical laws, just a simple, firm definition. For example..."
The black cat's voice suddenly seemed distant, as if it came from the depths of the water.
"...for example, 'I will land on a soft place'."
Karen's pupils contracted.
He felt a sudden heat surge on the spiritual runes on his wrist. It wasn't the gentle heat from before, but a more intense, scorching heat, as if something had been "activated." The silver runes began to glow, the light spreading upwards along his arm, across his shoulders, across his chest, and finally converging at his heart.
A picture flashed through his mind.
It wasn't something he actively imagined, but rather something "granted" to him by the spirit runes: he fell from a great height, but instead of solid stone slabs, he was surrounded by thick, fluffy clouds. The clouds caught him like cotton, cushioning the force of his fall, and then gently supported him as he slowly descended.
The scene was so clear, so real, that it possessed a strange "persuasiveness." Karen could almost feel the softness and moisture of the clouds, and smell the unique, cool air of the high altitude.
"Can you feel it?" The black cat's voice pulled him back to reality. "That's your definition taking shape. Thirty seconds."
The roar outside the window was deafening. Karen could see the airship's enormous shadow sweep across the street, its pale searchlight beam adjusting its angle, about to pierce the archives.
There was no time to hesitate.
He bent down and picked up Xiguang. The cub was light, its golden fur clinging to his chest, its warmth and rapid heartbeat radiating from it. Xiguang didn't struggle, but simply looked at him with its amber eyes, conveying a simple thought:
I believe you.
Karen took a deep breath and walked toward the arched window.
The windowsill was narrow, barely wide enough for him to stand. He looked down—below was indeed a hard stone-paved alleyway, with a few clumps of weeds stubbornly pushing their way through the cracks, swaying in the wind. It was at least three stories high, with no cushioning whatsoever.
The spiritual runes on my wrist were burning hot, and the image of "falling on the clouds" in my mind was becoming clearer and clearer, almost overshadowing my real vision.
The airship's searchlight beam shone into the archives, the pale beam sweeping across the bookshelves, across the long table, and finally settling on him.
"Target detected!" The shout from the amplified magic circle pierced the air. "Seal off all exits! Repeat, seal off—"
Karen closed her eyes.
It's not about escaping, but about focusing on that image: falling, clouds, softness, safety.
Then he took a step forward.
I missed a step.
Gravity gripped him instantly. The feeling of weightlessness was like an invisible hand squeezing his internal organs, forcing the air out of his lungs, and his heart pounded as if it would explode. The wind whistled in his ears, and the stone pavement rushed towards him at a terrifying speed—
The spiritual runes on his wrist burst forth with intense silver light.
The light did not spread into a force field as before, but instead converged inward, enveloping his entire body and forming an extremely thin, almost invisible film of light. The speed of his descent did not decrease, and gravity was still dragging him, but his "feeling" had changed.
Just like that scene.
He "felt" that he had landed on a thick, fluffy cloud. The impact was dispersed and absorbed, and his body did not feel any pain from the impact, only a gentle, supporting sensation. He could even "feel" the texture of the cloud: moist, soft, and with the coolness unique to high altitudes.
But this "feeling" only lasted for a moment.
The next moment, the true laws of physics took over his body again.
boom!
He fell heavily onto... a pile of sacks?
Karen opened his eyes, feeling dizzy. He was indeed lying on a pile of goods—sacks, wooden crates, and unidentified things wrapped in tarpaulins—piled up against the alley wall, forming a small hill. He had fallen onto the slope of the hill, rolled down, and finally landed on the stone slabs, still tightly clutching Xiguang in his arms.
No fractures, no serious injuries, just some abrasions and bruises. Jumping from the third floor is nothing short of a miracle.
But even more miraculous was the pile of goods—it shouldn't be here. The back alley of the government building was usually where cleaners stored their tools, never goods. The sacks and wooden crates looked brand new, and they were marked with an emblem Karen didn't recognize: the skeleton of a giant whale, bound with chains and flags.
"The Narwhale... temporary unloading point..." a voice sounded from the side.
Karen turned her head sharply.
The black cat perched on a wooden crate, its deep black fur almost invisible in the shadows of the alley, only the silver glint in its eyes clearly visible. It looked at Karen, its tail tip swaying gently.
"Your definition worked, but it was a close call." The black cat's voice rang directly in his mind. "'Landing in a soft place'—your spirit runes distorted the probabilities of reality, causing this pile of cargo, which should have been unloaded at the dock, to 'just happen' appear here and catch you. But the price is..."
Karen followed the black cat's gaze.
The silver spirit runes on his wrist were now so dim they were almost invisible. The runes themselves were still there, but all the light had been extinguished, and they no longer felt warm to the touch; instead, they felt somewhat cold. Worse still, he felt a deep, bone-deep weakness, and even lifting his arm was difficult.
"Psionic overdraft," the black cat said. "The power of a Resonator isn't limitless. Every time you 'define reality,' it consumes your psionic reserves. At your current level... that last burst probably used up about 80%."
Hurried footsteps and shouts came from outside the alley. The soldiers had seen him jump out of the window and were closing in.
"No time to rest." The black cat jumped off the wooden crate and walked deeper into the alley. "Come with me."
Karen struggled to his feet, his legs weak, and he almost fell again. Xiguang jumped down from his arms, still limping, but insisted on walking on his own. The cub nuzzled his leg with its head, conveying encouragement.
They followed the black cat deeper into the alley.
Roland stood before the arched window of the archives, looking down at the alley below and the pile of goods. His light gray eyes were devoid of emotion; he simply drew a palm-sized metal instrument from his waist.
On the instrument screen, a silver dot is moving rapidly, leaving a faint trail behind it.
"Resonator signature locked," he said to the instruments. "Activate Level 3 tracking protocol. Target is moving towards the cliff outside town. Dispatch airships number three and five to flank from both sides, while I will suppress from above in airship number one."
He packed up the equipment and took one last look at the archives—a scene of utter chaos, shattered longswords, and traces left by unconscious soldiers.
Then he turned and left.
A cold, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Run, Karen Everett," he muttered to himself. "Let me see where the limits of the Resonator are."