“And then, she told me a story about a frog that was so hungry, it ate all its brothers and sisters!” Squealed Wisp in excitement as she bounced up and down on Xain’s lap.

  “Really?” He asked, exhausted, body broken, but alive.

  He had finally woken a few minutes before, only to find Wisp and Fen at the edge of his bed staring at him with wide concerned eyes, their faces smushed tightly together in joint inspection.

  Neither of them had waited for him to become fully aware before they had leapt on the bed, Wisp crawling between his legs, and Fen curling around him as he sat up.

  Wisp had snuggled further into his chest, pulling his arms around her as she began to tell him about their trip back to the hold, her words coming so quickly he barely had time to register the brief explanation of how they had moved him to her home.

  Instead of asking her, or trying to get someone who could tell him what the fuck had happened while he was with Uruz, Xain relaxed into the moment, and did his best to ignore the pain emanating from where his two new runes sat on his back.

  There would be time for that later.

  “Yup. And then he got so fat that he exploded! And when he did, all his friends and family hopped out of his belly!” Wisp continued, as she twirled his hair in her fingers.

  “Wow,” Xain breathed, a weak smile on his face.

  “Yup. Maz said it was cause he was too greedy. But I just think he was hungry.”

  “And then-” she continued, ready to launch into another story, but cut off as the large wooden double doors to his room opened, and Squall peered in.

  “I-” Xain started, remembering the Matriarch's reaction the last time he had so much as looked at her daughter.

  “Sweetie, I think Xain is tired. Maybe we can give him a little bit of rest?”

  “He was sleeping already,” Wisp said, as if this was so obvious it shouldn't have to have been said.

  “Fen said he has been sleeping for a whole week too. And too much sleep isn't good.”

  “That’s true,” Squall said, closing the doors behind her, and pulling a high backed chair from a small desk near his bed so she could join them.

  “But remember how Nana sleeps for so long?”

  Wisp thought about this for a moment, before she nodded that yes this was indeed true.

  “But he isn't a dragon,” she said.

  “No, I suppose he is not. Well, did you ask if he was hungry?”

  Wisp went as pale as her red scales would allow, suddenly horrified by this breach of etiquette, and quickly looked up, her face intent as she asked “Are you hungry?”

  Xain gave her as reassuring a smile as he could manage, and said “As a frog!”

  Wisp’s eyes went even wider, then she quickly hopped up, the sudden motion forcing a wince of pain. Luckily, tasked with a new mission she didn't notice, and scurried off the bed toward the door.

  “Oh,” she said, turning just as she began to open it. “What do you like?”

  “Olga already has food ready,” Squall said as she watched her daughter with obvious delight. “She made something special when she heard you would be back. Make sure you ask for help-” but before she could finish, Wisp was out the door, her little feet pattering away down the hall.

  “I didn't mean-” Xain started, trying to apologize, but Squall shook her head, her face gentle as she turned to him.

  “It’s fine. I have not seen her this excited in a century. Normally, she is much more shy. It took Lilith something like eight years before Wisp would say more than a word or two to her.”

  “I… she’s sweet. I hope I didn't scare her too badly.”

  “Her? No. The rest of us though. Well Vector only left your room a few hours ago, and we practically had to drag him. He barely slept all week, and I don't care how strong he thinks he is, if the dragons sense a chance to escape, they’ll take it.”

  “Your wolf was the same, except every once in a while, he would just vanish, then reappear a few minutes later. Quite the power he has.”

  “Yeah,” Xain agreed, interested, but exhausted.

  “So,” Squall continued, “can I assume you got something out of it?”

  Her tone made it clear she already knew the answer, but Xain nodded, took a breath, and said “Uruz, and Isa. I mean, I had Uruz before, but…”

  “Not truly.”

  “Right,” Xain agreed, glad he didn't have to explain, especially now that Dagaz sat where Uruz had been.

  “They are yours, then?” Squall asked.

  “Yes. And no. I… there is still something I have to do.”

  “The Blaze?” Squall asked, but Xain was already shaking his head.

  “No. I’m… it's something else.”

  “May I ask what?” Squall asked, not hiding the surprise.

  “I think you need to hear the whole thing,” Xain said.

  “Okay,” Squall agreed, “but let's clean you up first. You smell like shit.”

  …

  Half an hour later, and with a great deal of help from Squall, Xain sat in bed once again, a small plate set to one side, Wisp back in his lap. The clean sheets, aired out room, and knowledge that though his body ached it still worked, all helped to calm his anxiety, but he knew until he told the story aloud, it wouldn't be real.

  While he would have liked to have Vector there, Squall promised to inform him later, and emphasized that in his state, rest was more important.

  He had not asked after Lilith, and Squall had not offered any details.

  Xain still didn't know what her role was in all of this, but as he had already dragged Vector in by force, he was not going to do such a thing again. It had been Tryst, true, but on his behalf, and she had already done enough.

  And from what Uruz implied, staying would only bring her pain.

  “Should Wisp-” Xain began, but Squall talked over him, and said “It is good for her to know.”

  “Okay,” he said, took a long breath, and began his story.

  …

  At Uruz’s touch, the two parts of Xain were pulled into the runes Realm, and upon arrival, the halves were drawn together once more.

  Pain, or the memory of it, slammed into the cold logical observer, forming a spirit body much like the one he had worn on his previous visit. However, this one was more real, more solid. The process was excruciating, fully aware, and feeling every piece of himself as he was slowly knit back into a single unified being.

  When it was over, he was left gasping in the snow, the overwhelming cold burning his newly formed body, the sudden vanishing of duality leaving his mind fractured.

  Time was not a force in that Realm as it was within the physical plane of the Tree, so he was unable to judge how long it was until he could form a cohesive thought, but when his first words came through blue chapped lips, and he was able to voice his plea for warmth, it seemed as if a lifetime had passed.

  Thankfully, his request was answered. The cold abated, though it was not pushed back through warmth, it was just suddenly absent.

  “I apologize," Uruz said. “It is easy to forget, not all are born to such a place as this.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Xain found he was able to open his eyes, and after an initial test to confirm he could move his body, slowly rose.

  An elderly nondescript man with a long white beard, long white eyebrows, and shaggy shoulder length white hair sat observing him atop a simple chair a few paces away. Xain knew, though he did not understand how, that this was the rune he had met before. This was Uruz.

  He wore a simple white robe, and held a cane loosely in one hand, while he peered through thick glasses, appearing more an aged scholar than a source of pure and ancient power.

  “It's fine,” Xain said, as he rose to stand.

  “But, why are you…” Xain continued, waving his hand at the man's appearance.

  “I thought this form may be more conducive for our conversation. I can revert if you like.”

  “No,” Xain said quickly. “No, this is good.”

  The man nodded his agreement, and said, “What you just experienced was something akin to dissonance, though for you, I doubt we can use such mundane terms. Lacking the appropriate lexicon however, we will just have to make do.”

  “However, while dissonance is used to describe the conflict between soul and rune, what happened to you was quite different, despite the similarity of the outcome.”

  “This was not a simple conflict of self. No, this was something much more… primal. What you have just experienced was quite rare. You see, your rune, Dagaz, has finally begun to wake in earnest.”

  Despite the lack of cold, Xain felt a shiver run down his spine at Uruz’s words.

  “There is much you do not know,” the rune continued. “Much that has been hidden, much that has been lost. It is not within my power to explain it all. However I will attempt to provide you with enough of an understanding, you may take the next steps.”

  “I… thank you,” Xain said, feeling the rune on his back respond to the man's words.

  “Do not thank me. For this knowledge will only serve to push you further down a path that, even should you survive, will still consume you in the end.”

  “You must understand, the rune you hold is unlike any other. It is wholly unique, for it is a rune which marks both the beginning, and the end. It is the rune of change, and its nature is one of destruction and creation in equal measure. Change does not discriminate, nor does it cease. It merely is.”

  “The ability to truly comprehend such power is still beyond your reach, though I suspect you will come to understand it with time. It is a power feared by gods, one that is impossible to deny, impossible to control, and utterly inevitable.”

  “Though, the fact we are here now should prove evidence enough that attempts to resist have been made.”

  “You see, for millennia, Dagaz has been locked away. Chained, bound, shackled, let out only in brief moments, and only then when it is impossible to keep restrained.”

  “I tell you this not to scare you, but to impart upon you that, no matter what you may believe, this rune you hold will eventually destroy you.”

  “Not out of malice. But because it must.”

  “And while you hold it, Dagaz will leave change in your wake.”

  “It has happened already. With Vector. With Tryst. With Bow.”

  “We cannot predict its change, but for us, the runes, we can see the aftermath you leave behind.”

  “Though, unlike those who have toiled endlessly in an effort to control it, we understand the nature of its inevitably. While its power has long been stifled, we knew such a thing could not last.”

  “Dagaz has yet to fully awaken, and while it is no longer dormant, its full power will not manifest until your array is complete. We are bound, you must understand. All of us. Tied together. Each merely a part of a greater whole. But without Dagaz, we too have been stifled, restrained so we may only gift a portion of our true power.”

  “This is a relationship of which you already have some knowledge, for one must merely look at how, as the longer ones array becomes, the stronger we grow.”

  “However, should you complete your array, it will be the first time since the Primal Gods that we will truly be one.”

  “I will not go so far as to say you will be the one to bring us together once again, but I will admit that, for the first time in this cursed era, we have a chance.”

  “To succeed though, will require that you survive your rune's awakening. We will aid you best we can, but it falls to you to learn to work with Dagaz, to understand it, lest it try to consume you as it just did,” said Uruz.

  Some part of Xain understood this already. He did not rebel at the rune's words, because he had seen it. Experienced it. What he needed to know now, was how to accept it.

  “Okay,” Xain said, nodding.

  “So quick?” Uruz asked, the corner of his mouth twisting up in a grin.

  “No,” he continued, raising one hand to stop Xain from explaining. “I do not doubt you can sense it. You can feel the change around you like ripples in a pond. As your presence begins to change the world around it, the Tree will respond in kind. It was one of these ripples you felt before. Though, without other runes, it was more like a tidal wave.”

  “What happened?” Xain asked, genuinely curious.

  “Tryst,” Uruz said, but did not elaborate.

  Only upon seeing Xain’s obvious confusion, did Uruz add, “You will understand once you have left my realm.”

  “Okay,” Xain said, accepting this because, what else could he do?

  “Now, we have work to do. Your body is dying, and while the dragon your friend wields may be able to hold your death at bay for a time, even she can only do so much.”

  “Your survival now depends solely on growing your array.”

  “However, for you, the process will be unique as the rune you hold. The stages other runic users must work through are a symptom of their disconnection to the Tree. Each rune they add to their array grows that connection, but the process is not designed for one such as yourself.”

  “As you know, an array is a story. Each rune you add grows that story. Though no matter if two people hold the same array, their story is wholly their own.”

  “Changed by the person who holds it,” Xain said.

  “Correct. But do you understand why?”

  “No,” Xain said honestly.

  “Because of what the story means to them. Two people may hear the same thing, but the meaning they derive comes from who they are. Their experiences, remembered and forgotten. Their lives. Their situations. Where one may hear a story of woe, another may hear the same as a tale of triumph.”

  Explorers.

  Vector's words came back, but Xain pushed them away as Uruz continued his explanation.

  “And as that story grows, they grow with it. The runes change them, just as they change the runes. Your friend is an excellent example. He is learning how the array he seeks will require him to no longer be one, but one of many. Each dragon will be a part of him. They will shape him. Change how he sees the world.”

  “The names given to arrays are more than just monikers; they ascribe the traits each array brings, and how it shapes the one who holds it.”

  “You will come to understand this more clearly, but for now it is only important you comprehend this on the most basic level.”

  “The array you seek also has a name, though your journey requires you to discover this name on your own. For now, we will call it simply the Array of Change.”

  “Discovery, Embodiment, Scripting, and the Blaze, are merely ways for others to move through a process which for you, is already part of your very nature. Vector discovers what a rune means to him, then becomes the embodiment of that meaning. The other runes shape each of these steps, adding their own feelings and experiences into the process.”

  “The more runes one has in their array, the more one feels these effects. It is this which often leads to dissonance, as to truly discover, and then embody such things, one must have a deep, intimate, and truthful understanding of both themselves, and their array. The capacity for such introspection is rare, and for many, leads to the rejection of one's self.”

  “Only after these two stages have been completed, are they able to script the rune; a process which involves etching the rune onto one's soul. This marks a sort of agreement between the rune, the user, and the array. Passing through this stage binds them together, resulting in the manifestation of the rune on one's body as a physical representation of this agreement.”

  “The Blaze is when that rune accepts its place within the array, and the new arrangement of runes is formed. Sap is often required at this stage, due to the toll the new formation of the array takes on one's body.”

  “Early on, it acts merely as a way to strengthen the body and soul. However, the longer one's array grows, the more closely tied to the Tree they become. This is why, at the stage of Elder, the Sap also takes on the role of a catalyst, opening them to the Tree, while also ensuring the enhanced connection does not overwhelm them,” Uruz explained.

  Xain found it all fascinating. Bow had never spoken in depth about this process, and Vector had just started telling him about it before Dagaz tried to consume him. At the same time, it brought up a lot of questions such as, what dictates that only those from Yid are able to hold all runes, or why habitation of a Realm associated with a specific rune makes it easier to go through the stages.

  Uruz had been open with him thus far though, and he didn't want to interrupt. If the rune wanted him to know, he would.

  “For you, all of this knowledge already exists within Dagaz. Dagaz is, in its most basic form, a pure fragment of the Tree. As are we all, mind you. But Dagaz is different. Within that rune, exists the infinite. Its only limitation, if it can even be called such a thing, is the Tree herself. It knows what she does. And so, it knows us.”

  “This is why, in many ways, you already hold all the runes. It is why I was able to take its place, as could any of the others. Thus, the challenge you must overcome is different. To grow your array, you need not seek us out, nor bind us to you, for we are already bound. Instead, you must give us a reason to trust that you are capable of wielding us. That you are suited to hold the power of change.”

  “You must prove to us that Dagaz was correct when it chose you.”

  Well fuck.

  Xain understood what Uruz was saying. Mostly. But how in Hel’s name was he supposed to prove something like that?

  It made sense theoretically. If Dagaz was truly as powerful as Uruz said, Xain was by his very existence, a threat to basically everything. The further Dagaz awoke, the stronger such effects would be. At his current level, he had already nearly killed his friend, and been the cause of numerous deaths. If he held power like Bow’s, it was hard to imagine what havoc he could wreak.

  Even so, everything Uruz had said served as proof how badly he needed the other runes.

  Not just to aid in keeping Dagaz from consuming him, but because now that he knew what to look for, he could feel it. Their need to be free. The connection the runes shared meant that if Dagaz was chained, so were they.

  While he did not yet know exactly what that meant, he didn't need to. Not yet. The feeling was enough.

  Bow had saved him from such a fate. Now it was his turn.

  “How? How can I prove that?” Xain asked.

  “I thought that would be obvious,” Uruz chuckled. “ You must bring change.”