A dream from a familiar universe... and the story of a young man who forged his own path with his own two hands... ...
Time in Xu Yianzi's world had turned over once more. Zen "awoke" in the dream, and the sight before him was completely different.
He saw Xu Yianzi, now a man grown. He was around thirty years old, the last traces of youthful weakness erased completely, replaced by a gaze that was calm and steady. He was returning to the place he had once fled... the Xu Clan.
Xu Yianzi didn't stride into the main hall with arrogance. Instead, he went straight to his mother's residence. The wooden door opened softly. A middle-aged woman, once beautiful, now bore the lines of age and worry on her face. She turned to the visitor in surprise, before her eyes widened, welling up with tears.
"Zi'er... my son... you've come back." She threw her arms around the son she hadn't seen in many years, the familiar touch causing her to break down in unrestrained sobs. "I've missed you so much... All these years, where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you well?" her voice trembled. "I can only blame myself for not being able to protect you that day... the day you were scorned, and hurt... I know that fights between children are a normal part of growing up, but I couldn't help but feel the injustice for you... For an adult to intervene would have only made things worse. The other side had elders backing them. In my position at the time... I truly could do nothing... I could only send people to search for you in secret... but it was fruitless..."
Xu Yianzi hugged his mother back gently. He felt all the pain and worry she held. He smiled faintly and said, "Mother, I have never blamed you... And now, I have returned. And I have found a new path... I have something to show you."
He helped his mother to a seat, then took out a low-quality Yuan Stone. He carefully drew the symbol of the rune ᛒ (Berkano)—which represented rebirth and restoration—in the air. A soft green light formed at his fingertips before he gently pressed it onto the back of his mother's hand. The gentle green light spread throughout her body. The lines of time on her face began to soften, to fade, until she looked years younger, as if by a miracle!
His mother raised a hand to her own face in disbelief, tears of joy now streaming down her cheeks. "This... what is this, my son! Your power..."
"It is my new path, Mother... the Art of Runes."
Her son's success filled his mother with overwhelming joy. She quickly pulled Xu Yianzi toward the clan's main hall to show his father. "My husband! Look what our son can do!"
Xu Yanming and the elders in the main hall all stared at him as one. There were important guests in the hall today—the martial masters of Xu Yianzi's generation, who had now become elders or powerful figures in various sects. They had brought their own "disciples" to the Xu clan to select promising new talent. The atmosphere was thick with boasting and minor displays of skill.
Seeing the large crowd, Xu Yianzi showed humility, not wanting to reveal the full extent of his power in public. He addressed his father, "Father, this is a long story. May I request a private audience with you this evening?" Xu Yanming nodded, surprised by his son's calm demeanor.
But just as he was about to leave, a voice thick with scorn rang out. "Hah! Look at that! The worthless trash who ran away from home for a decade still has the face to return to the clan?"
The speaker was one of his old rivals, now an elder of the Flame Sect. He stood beside his own prized disciple, who was showing off his power with arrogance.
"My disciple could use 'Demon Fire' since he was fifteen! Not like the son of some people who could only run from reality!" the man said, casting a sideways glance at Xu Yianzi. "Come! Show this 'former young master' what true power looks like!"
His young disciple smirked, then unleashed his spiritual energy, creating a large fireball that shot straight towards Xu Yianzi!
Everyone in the hall expected to see Xu Yianzi's body sent flying or engulfed in flames.
But Xu Yianzi remained perfectly calm. He watched the approaching fireball with a placid gaze, before doing something no one could have predicted...
He took a Yuan Stone from his sleeve... and flicked it, as if flicking a marble.
The Yuan Stone floated before him with astonishing grace. It suddenly flared with light, the symbol of the rune ᛇ (Eiwaz) appearing and expanding into a large, translucent energy shield in an instant!
The Demon Fireball slammed into the shield with full force, but instead of an explosion, the runic shield absorbed the flames entirely! The runic patterns on the shield turned a brilliant crimson before vibrating intensely.
"Reflect," Xu Yianzi said, his voice flat.
At his word, the shield fired the exact same Demon Fireball back out, but this time it was twice as fast and slightly larger!
BOOM!!!
The young disciple had no time to even defend himself. He was struck by his own power and sent crashing into the wall of the hall, which crumbled on impact!
A dead silence fell over the entire area. All eyes were fixed on Xu Yianzi. The mockery and contempt that had been in their eyes just moments ago had now transformed into shock, disbelief, and a flicker of fear...
The worthless boy they once knew was gone... and the one standing before them now was a master of a mysterious art that no one had ever known.
The Art of Runes... had been born.