Chapter 14: The Four Elements |
The two ascended to the second floor, which, like the first, was covered in dust. They didn’t proceed to the third floor but instead looked down the corridor. On one side of the corridor were windows, and on the other, a row of rooms. The main building of the sanatorium was U-shaped, and they now stood at the center of the long side.
The doctor said,
“Miracles—if you manage to inscribe the Rune of 【Miracle】, it will certainly be a golden rune. All 【Miracles】 stem from the stories and powers of the gods. Remember, the Five True Gods are the only remaining benevolent deities.”
“Only remaining?” Shade keenly picked up on the key point, also realizing why his first encounter with "Miracle" had occurred.
“Yes, in past eras, there were many gods. If you join the Academy, you’ll learn this in the basic courses at the Divinity School. But most of those powerful deities have disappeared, either fallen, departed, or sealed away. In the end, only five benevolent gods remain, known as the True Gods. And gods can intervene in the material world; they are not just symbolic figures. Don’t think of them as powerful Ring Warlocks—they are true higher-dimensional beings... I hope you understand what I mean.”
Shade’s lips twitched slightly—he certainly understood.
“The Ring Warlocks of the True God Churches mostly specialize in the 【Miracle】 element. But aside from the True Gods, the Old Gods left many traces in the world. By coming into contact with those remnants and learning the stories of the Old Gods, you can also extract the Rune of 【Miracle】 with the help of your ‘other self.’”
The doctor finally touched on the essential “voice in the mind” that Ring Warlocks rely on.
“That voice in your mind is actually another you. It’s not truly you, yet it is undeniably you.”
“This is the Rune of 【Miracle】 I inscribed when I reached the First Ring.”
A white mist appeared behind the doctor, partially revealing a brass-colored Fate Wheel with a golden rune shining within it.
Shade resisted the pain in his temples to decipher the rune, which signified 【Dust】—a symbol he had seen earlier.
“The Old God, 【God of Dust】, also known as the 【World Serpent】, left behind this miracle. Through the Academy, I learned His story and thereby obtained the rune.”
The golden light illuminated the floor in front of them, revealing a trail of footprints.
“But this miracle isn’t well-suited for me; I only developed this simple magical technique from it. The power derived from runes is called miracles, while the common abilities of Ring Warlocks are known as arcane arts. This distinction is covered in the curriculum.”
They followed the trail of footprints forward, clearly aiming for a destination on the second floor.
“But remember, gods are dangerous. It’s not that they bear malice toward humans—it’s their very nature and elevated status. Simply encountering anything related to gods can harm you due to their essence, much like staring directly at the sun would damage your eyes.”
The doctor issued a reminder and continued,
“Blasphemy—if you manage to inscribe the Rune of 【Blasphemy】, it will certainly be a silver rune. All 【Blasphemy】 stems from foul concepts and evil gods. But remember, this excludes the Five True Gods and those Old Gods who have vanished; it concerns the existing Old Gods.
The few Old Gods that have persisted to the present are either powerful benevolent deities or weaker, dreadful entities born from concepts of corruption and blasphemy. They are gods recognized by the True God Churches, but their power is far weaker than the True Gods. This isn’t church propaganda—it’s a fact.”
“So, the True Gods are acknowledged and powerful benevolent deities, while the Old Gods include vanished benevolent and malevolent gods as well as existing evil gods. Are evil gods particularly terrifying?” Shade summarized.
“Indeed, they are. Although they are weaker compared to the Five True Gods, their very existence can drive ordinary people mad. The primary mission of the church is to suppress the occasional emergence of evil gods and their constant worshippers.
Yet, the Rune of 【Blasphemy】 is not forbidden. Aside from evil gods, certain knowledge from the Fourth Epoch can also yield 【Blasphemy】. Hidden texts recount terrifying stories, which are the mainstream method for extracting the 【Blasphemy】 element. 【Miracle】 and 【Blasphemy】 are both inherently tied to gods.”
It was currently the Sixth Epoch, yet none of the books or calendars Shade had encountered explicitly stated this fact. He only knew because the voice in his mind had clarified it during its first appearance, underscoring its unique nature.
“Now is the Sixth Epoch, while the Fourth Epoch was an age of darkness and chaos—truly horrifying,” the doctor whispered, as if fearful of disturbing something.
From the mist behind him, a silver rune flickered, revealing part of the Fate Wheel. Shade interpreted it as 【Emotion】.
“【Emotion】 is a particularly powerful rune, derived from a terrifying tale from the Fourth Epoch that I’ll never forget. I’ve developed numerous miracles using this element, the simplest being the ability to detect emotional beings nearby.”
The silver light flickered across the brass-colored Fate Wheel. The doctor drew a conclusion:
“He’s inside, and he’s terrified. It seems he knows we’re here.”
Their enemy likely couldn’t miss the doctor’s deliberate lack of concealment.
“If the voice in your mind continually alerts you to 【Blasphemy】 nearby, don’t hesitate—turn around and run. This element is incredibly lethal.”
As they advanced, the doctor continued imparting fundamental knowledge. Shade began to understand why he had encountered no 【Blasphemy】 before.
“Enlightenment—if you manage to inscribe the Rune of 【Enlightenment】, it will certainly be a brass-colored rune. All 【Enlightenment】 stems from civilization itself. Yes, civilization—historical legends, religious and heroic tales, even fictional knightly adventures—can all serve as mediums to extract 【Enlightenment】. This is the element of civilization, symbolizing the light of our world.”
Though the doctor made it sound straightforward, Shade knew it wasn’t as simple as reading knightly novels.
“Furthermore, it’s not limited to our civilization or even humanity’s. Past civilizations can also yield 【Enlightenment】. This element can coexist with 【Blasphemy】 and 【Miracle】—after all, the history of civilization is intertwined with the power of gods, and the gods have never turned their gaze away from it.”
From the mist behind the doctor, another section of the Fate Wheel emerged, revealing the brass-colored rune 【Sweet Dreams】.
“This is the Rune of 【Sweet Dreams】. It’s not convenient to explain its origin now, but my compatibility with it is excellent. I’ll use a miracle to send our target into a dream.”
A faint light spilled forth. Though Shade couldn’t see its exact effects, he trusted the doctor wouldn’t fail.
They finally stopped at an unmarked room. Inside, the room was pristine, with no one in sight.
The doctor remained composed.
“Lastly, Whispers—if you manage to inscribe the Rune of 【Whispers】, it will certainly be an iron-black rune. 【Whispers】 come from a wide range of sources. The common view is that if 【Enlightenment】 represents the light of civilization, then 【Whispers】 are the darkness of the world. Whispers resonate through the material realm like a natural phenomenon, gained by encountering evil god knowledge or handling 【Relics】.”
The detective had died due to a 【Relic】, which explained why Shade had encountered the element of “Whispers” at the time of his death.
An iron-black rune appeared, its meaning deciphered as 【False Truth】—the most complex of the four runes the doctor had displayed.
“This rune came from a Level 3, or Secret-Keeper grade 【Relic】 incident I resolved a year ago. I don’t fully grasp its power yet, but I primarily use it to dispel illusions.”
Under the illumination of the iron rune, the clean room revealed its true nature: windows sealed with newspapers and wooden boards, walls and floors coated in blood-like substance emitting a foul stench, and glass containers filled with human organs arranged like an exhibition.
As the disguise faded, the nauseating stench overwhelmed Shade, and he realized why the doctor had insisted he skip breakfast.
Suppressing his revulsion and mental strain, Shade scanned the almost blood-red room and spotted a young man sleeping soundly in a corner.
The man didn’t resemble a vagrant; he looked like a student, cleanly dressed and well-groomed. One hand held a pistol, the other a brass box, and he slumped in place.
“Bide Morode, 19 years old, a student at Tobesk City’s Loraks Mechanical Academy. A year ago, he accidentally came into contact with a Level 5, or Poet-grade 【Relic】. Its 【Whispers】 element drove him insane, leading to a personality shift and turning him into a serial murderer of young women. This world is just too dangerous for ordinary people.”
“So, what exactly are 【Relics】?”
Shade controlled his terror and suppressed his urge to vomit. The doctor, however, appeared unperturbed, either well-composed or accustomed to such sights. Standing at the door, neither of them stepped into the room.
“【Relics】 are remnants from the past, cursed artifacts from the first five epochs. Some formed naturally, while others were created by powerful entities of the past.
Remember, only the first five epochs can produce 【Relics】. So far, no 【Relics】 from our Sixth Epoch have been documented. If you were to discover one, it could earn you an entire academic year’s worth of practical credits... Unlike alchemical items, only 【Relics】 can possess the element of 【Whispers】. There is no known way to artificially imbue an item with this element.”
Both their gazes turned to the brass box cradled in Morode’s hands—it was the 【Relic】 in question.
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