*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
...
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
.........
*TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP-*
*Creak*
Oh! He opened the door! Good! Phase 1 complete. Next...Mrehehe!
"*Ahehem* Mrallo-"
*SLAM!*
...
...
...
*Sniff*
I got rejected... again.
Why! Why does he keep slamming the door on my face?! Did I offend him or something?!
Am I... am I just UGLY?! Does he not like gray and white cats?!
*Sniff*
I hate this place. Stupid Village Chief... I'll just leav-
*CCCrrreeeaaaakkk...!*
*Sniffle* ... Huh?
"GAAAAAH!"
A wrinkled hand covered in burns and scars. A thin green mark pulsates like a phosphorescent eel, slithering eerily along the elder man's wrist. I can just barely see it through the darkness of his robed sleeve. It writhes and wiggles upwards, presumably to the elbow, yet, disappearing into the loose-fitting wear before I could verify.
The clawed hand seems to grow larger in my view as it draws ever nearer. Ever closer. Before I could vocalize a scream for help or mercy, The crinkly, haggard fingers clamp down on my skull with brute intensity. Such an overbearing, vice-like grip drags me in, against my will, and I hear the door once more slam shut - sealing my fate.
An intense breathing over me snaps my thoughts back into focus. I bravely peek one magnificent eye open...only to see a pair of gentle, exhausted eyes peering down on me.
"Little one, why must you rattle this tired man's door so much? I've seen you visiting the others, earning their smiles. Why couldn't you leave well enough alone?"
His terrifying, clawed fingertips pull close to me, causing my body to instinctively wince. But...
The pain never comes. With careful precision, he only wipes my tea- err: *HACK-COUGH!* *COUGH!*
... My eye boogers away.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Let me show you something."
From the careful place in his arms, I take a look around. Despite the way it looks from the outside, His home looks nice.
Like, really nice. But why? The outside doesn't match up with the interior? Is this some secret technique of the two rejected piggy brothers that seemingly built this village?
Is space warped somehow? His teensy-looking hut is expansive and huge!
As we pass by the living room, I finally notice along the walls seem to be paintings...but I sense... mana? Inside of them? The way they're positioned around...is it my imagination?
No... it isn't! I look up and see a faintly visible mana trail in the shape of a circle, with mana vein-like lines intricately patterning themselves around a word I don't understand...
? ? ? ?
"...FnEF? Mrah...they can't BOTH be Fs..."
"Hoh~ So you can talk now, I see. That rumor that you had achieved 'evolution' due to your monste-
...hold on. What...were you looking at just now?"
GAAH! His eyes grew huge suddenly! They widened so quickly, out of nowhere! It's like being gazed down on from a magnifying lens! Creepy geezer!
... That's not how others felt when I...pfft. Obviously not.
Wait. Did he say I can...talk? You...creepy geezer, you...
"You...Y-Y-You speak cat?!"
...Hm? W-Wait, why are my ordinary mewlings not coming out? They sound like words now?
*BIGGER GASP*
"I'M TALKING!!!"
"Little one. What were you trying to read?"
An impatient stir reverberates from his throat. Why isn't he surprised?! A. FLIPPING. CAT. IS. TALKING!!!
Aren't you happy for me?
...No? Fine. This place is lame, I miss Rei. He praises me over anything I do.
Instead of responding, I point my paw to the strange letters in the sky.
Sir, I won't say it aloud, but FneF is not a word. Learn how to spell. You're NOT cool just 'cause you wrote it with mana.
"Ahh, so this is what Falias meant, with that lesser-grade hydra spawn. You can read the runes. That isn't 'Fnef', it represents four important symbols for combating my...problems."
As soon as his voice fell, magical Runes lit up all around me. 4 in particular, absolutely astounded me with their vibrant glows, dancing in the air like mesmerizing fairies.
"?: This symbol translates to Fehu. The raw vitality of life this one provides is essential. Although translating to Cattle or wealth, a more primal take on Fehu references pure survival. After all, one of the many interpretations of owning 'Livestock' is the sheer ability to stay alive and survive harsh times."
The symbol representing the majestic rune of prosperity and survival danced happily like a fish swimming through the mana-filled room before falling back in place among the alphabet inscribed into the walls. His footsteps seemed to continue slowly, as he headed for the hallway to the right.
"?: Also called Uruz, of untamed resilience. Uruz is power, strength, and a source. Uruz, of the primeval void, where everything is wild, unrestrained and undomesticated. This child of mine provides my haggard, weary 'vessel' the strength to endure any and all influences. It's particularly handy in thwarting this foul curse's attempts at devouring me."
At his words, a slithering green snake-like mana coils fiercely, and seems to almost hiss in defiance, but the old man's awkward, decrepit body practically sprung to life in response. It glows a faint bronze hue in a very faint pulsation, rendering the bestial mana's attempts null.
"An inner wellspring of strength that defies all odds, that refuses to bow and bend, to be restrained or broken. Despite my shell's withered state, I'm filled with a transformative essence that demands the old, feeble inability of yore, to be abandoned in exchange for a new, stronger existence. Such, is Uruz."
The excitable symbol zoomed around the room before happily embracing him like a chain of paper dolls. They settled in place at their respective spots along the wall.
"?: Both Sowilo and Sowulo, represents the sun, a necessary component for life that combats death. For plants, it serves as a source of nourishment, for humans it drives off the cold, bitter frosty deaths of the ice lands. The Sun both gives life, and takes it away. Sowilo represents the light that actively combats this curse on me, and restrains it, still."
At his beckoning, I watch the symbol alight itself from the walls, surrounding, and gently embrace his touch before burying itself into his arm, serving as chains that bind the slithering mana in place.
"Most important, Sowilo introduces victory. While the other children represent passive endurance, this child offers active success. The active, triumphant energy of Sowilo burns away the vile potency of this curse."
The chains bind the writhing mass of green eel-like mana into place while shimmering at his praise.
"?: At last, we have Ansuz, of Divinity."
He pauses his steps in place, right before the hallway at last. It hovers in front of our designated path, the Symbol he speaks about, Ansuz. It bows gracefully, and he most-courteously responds. His demeanor transitions, filled with gratitude as he closes his eyes, raises his head, and narrates.
"The symbol representing Divine breath and Wisdom - for without it, I would have long perished to this unknown curse. Remember, little one. Words can be a frightening thing. Their potential remains unknown. But, the unknown reigns unmatched in its terror. An illness never before seen may have the simplest of cures, yet how would one find it without knowing? This special rune granted me the power to draw my will, manifest. With it, I can channel my mental fortitude against even the most devilish of ancient curses, hear their Divine teachings as clear thoughts or whispers, and manifest my words, as law."
"[Reveal yourself]"
Before us, what was once a hallway warped and twisted, as if the space before us was alive. A room manifested from thin air!
... Or was it a mere illusion? No, that mana twisting the air, or...'space'? Maybe it's like what happened in this hut? The reason such a shabby look outside, can hide such a vast interior?
*GASP*
Stilling my thoughts, my large, glittering eyes get drawn to the center of the room. A...A metal sword!
"Ansuz of divine wisdom. Ansuz of Authority, power and perhaps even the life force of the ?sir and the ásynjur. It has stabilized my life into this existence and actively blessed me with a miracle."
The four symbols, spelling out {? ? ? ?}, project English iterations before us, spelling F U S A, then A S U F. Finally it dawned on me.
The letters, symbols, when spelled differently, produce different effects. These Runes are... so cool!
I can't understand what that new word means, or does, when spelled as 'ASUF', but...the individual effects seem to rework themselves somehow.
"Little one. I heard about you."
Hm?
"You've been giving the others a hard time, haven't you."
My blood runs cold at those words. The Ceremonial Knife glistens along with his eerie smile. Wait. What is this?
