Return of the Runebound Professor
Chapter 727: Half past

Lee blurred through Arbitage like a demon out of hell. She ripped down the streets and tore by mages heading about their days. A man stumbled as she carved past him, and he suddenly found the stick of turkey that he’d been holding in his hand missing.

By the time the man had registered that his hands were now lightened of their load, Lee was long gone.

So was the turkey leg— though, depending on one’s definition of gone, it could be argued that the leg still existed. It was just now residing within Lee’s insides.

Just because I’m about to have to tear a few people open doesn’t mean I should stop fueling up on snacks. Food is vital for a successful performance. I wouldn’t want to get peckish midway through a fight.

Lee skidded to a stop before the entrance of the dormitory. The scents she’d been following were all already inside. They were moving fast. Not nearly as fast as her, but fast. But not every single one of them was inside.

Her eyes narrowed as her gaze met that of a tall man standing before the doors of the building. A large polearm leaned against his side and he wore heavy leather armor that had clearly seen its fair share of fights.

Faded scars ran along the man’s neck and crawled up his face like a tapestry of battles past. He knew how to handle himself. And, judging by the slightly putrid stench rising up from him, the man was strong.

Rank 5.

Lee’s skin prickled as the man’s domain washed over her. That was one feat that she couldn’t replicate… but domains also weren’t particularly concerning to her. Lee didn’t use much magic at range, so there wasn’t anything for the man’s powers to snuff out.

“You’re a fast one, aren’t you?” the man asked, his lips curling. “They told me that backup was liable to show up quickly, but you’re even faster than I expected. What are you, girl? One of Spider’s lackeys?”

I don’t have time for this. The students are in danger.

Lee readied herself to blur into motion — but the man held his hand out, clicking his tongue in warning. Within it rested a small black orb. The man’s thumb was pressed firmly against it, glowing runes shimmering within it.

She froze.

There was an immense amount of magical energy stored within the orb. One of the scents that she’d thought to be a person was actually the imbued item within the man’s hand.

“Ah. I’d hold off if I were you. The only thing keeping this artifact from going off is me,” the man said with a cold smile. “We know Spider has a number of rather fast allies. You stay right there. Come any closer — and I don’t care how fast you are — I’ll just let this go and send everyone anywhere near this building straight to the Damned Plains. Same thing goes for if I lose track of you. Do anything but stand right where you are right now… wave goodbye to every single student in the building behind me.”

Lee’s teeth clenched. She was pretty sure she was faster than the man — but it didn’t smell like he was bluffing. The man was calm. His artifact most certainly had enough magical power to tear the entire building to pieces.

Even though Lee was pretty certain she’d be able to outrun the explosion, the same didn’t go for everyone behind the dormitory’s doors.

“What do you want?” Lee growled. This wasn’t just some random attack. They’d been prepared — and that meant the students were in even more danger than she’d thought.

“From you?” the man’s smile grew colder. “Nothing at all. All you have to do is wait around a few minutes. Then we’ll be gone.”

***

Yoru sat atop the transport cannon as she looked out over the grounds of Arbitage, her legs hanging over the edge to dangle freely in the air. The roof had quickly become her favorite place within the entirety of the mortal realm. It was quiet. Peaceful.

At least, when someone wasn’t bothering her.

“You don’t spend much time with anyone else,” Violet observed from her spot beside Yoru. “Don’t you think you should get to know them more?”

“I do not need to get to know them,” Yoru replied. She looked down at her hands — both now formed of translucent moonlight. Energy twisted through them in shimmering rivers. Though changed, it was the very same power that had once been enough to tear the truth free of the universe and lay it out before her like a pathway.

It had once been shackles that bound her very being.

And now…

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I don’t know what it is now. I haven’t used my Master Rune ever since Noah cowed it.

“Why not?” Violet asked. “You’d probably have a lot more friends if you did. If I hadn’t gotten told off for it, I probably would have gone to my deathbed convinced that you were a manipulative piece of shit.”

Yoru sent a flat look at Violet. “What is your purpose here? I do not need friends. I have more than enough already.”

Violet let out a snort of laughter. She quickly covered her mouth, then cleared her throat. “Sorry. That was rude. I didn’t mean to be rude. But… who? What friends do you have, Yoru?”

“Will you leave if I answer?”

“You don’t own the roof, Yoru. Tim does. But if your answer is satisfactory, then fine. That does mean you have to answer honestly, though. I’ll get Aylin if I have to.”

“There is no need. I do not lie. I have no reason to. I have many friends. Myself, to start.”

“You can’t count yourself.”

“Then Spider.”

“Spider isn’t your friend. He’s your ally,” Violet said with a firm shake of her head. “That doesn’t work.”

“Now you’re making up rules,” Yoru said, her eyes narrowing behind her mask.

“No, I’m not. Have you ever just gone out to get dinner with Spider? With no purpose other than to eat? Have you done anything together that wasn’t work or fighting related?”

“No. Why would I waste time on anything that wasn’t relevant?”

“Because there’s more to life than accomplishing tasks. You need something to protect. Someone to care for. People to love,” Violet said with a shake of her head and an exasperated sigh. “That’s the reason to live. Everything else just revolves around that.”

“Your nature as a Hoard Demon is showing. I do not seek a romantic relationship.”

“That is not what I meant and you know it,” Violet said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “To love someone doesn’t mean you need to be in love with them. I’m certainly not about to bone Aylin. He might as well be my brother. But I still love him.”

“I have no need for such weaknesses. Links to those beneath you will only be chains that bind you down.”

“Right. Because Spider is so much weaker due to his connections with Lee,” Violet said, rolling her eyes. “And his students as well. Are they also weaknesses?”

“The students are investments. He is building an army.”

“Then where are your investments?” Violet asked. “And you know what the sad thing is, Yoru? You’ve got people that want to be friends with you. People that care, even if you don’t.”

Yoru’s head tilted to the side. “I do not understand.”

Violet just shook her head. “I know you don’t. I’m only here because Tim wanted me to check on you. He was concerned that he was being too overbearing by checking on you every time you came up here.”

“It is his roof.”

“That’s not what it’s about,” Violet said. “Look. I don’t know exactly what you went through because of your Rune. I’m not going to make you tell me. To be honest, I’m not strong enough to. But Spider put a lot of effort into saving you. And you’re part of our group, even if you don’t want to be. That means I don’t have much of a choice either.”

“Do you have a goal with this?”

“Gods, you’re insufferable.” Violet pushed herself to her feet. “We’re having lunch in thirty minutes. If you want to join us, I’ll save you a seat. That’s all.”

Then Violet turned on her heel and headed back into the Transport Cannon, leaving Yoru alone on the roof.

Silence reigned once more.

But the peace was broken. Yoru’s hands tightened at her sides. She wasn’t even sure why they were doing that. Something twisted inside her. Something she didn’t like much at all. It was like unease and discomfort and anger all at once. She didn’t know what it was, but she did know it was an emotion she most certainly did not want.

I just want to be left alone. Insufferable. I’m not the insufferable one.

Am I?

A familiar twang pulled at the back of Yoru’s mind. Her powers lurked, just a thought away. Within them rested answers. A solution to every single problem. It wouldn’t come as easily as it once had, but the magic was still there.

With some work, she could have it back. Even a portion of that power would be enough to solve something as small as this.

But Yoru hesitated. Spider’s words rung in her head. But not just his. Lee’s. Tim’s.

Violet’s.

Her jaw tensed.

I wanted to experience things for myself. My freedom will not be wasted. I will never be a slave to my magic again.

Cheating her way through this wouldn’t show her anything that she hadn’t already seen. There was a certain liberty to being blind. To not knowing what would happen.

Thirty minutes, was it?

Yoru rose to her feet.

Then she paused.

Do I go down now? Or do I wait?

A second dragged by. Her lips twitched into a frown behind her mask. The question shouldn’t have mattered. There was literally no difference. Nothing was keeping her up here.

And yet, her feet refused to move. The idea of heading down early felt like casting herself into an abyss — and she had absolutely no idea why. Her own body seemed to be rebelling against her mind.

What is going on?

This was unacceptable. Her body was hers. Yoru drew on a tiny sliver of her magic. Not to cheat, of course. She would not be so much as glancing more than thirty minutes into the future. That would be experienced as anyone else would experience it.

Yoru just needed a tiny peek into figuring out what was wrong with her own mind.

And then she froze.

Yoru’s blood ran cold as threads of probability spun out all around her.

The future was black.

Black as darkest night.

Yoru spun, the weights of probability settling into place like bricks in cement. The threads all led to one building. Every second that slipped by darkened the sky even further — but the future was not yet set.

Her jaw clenched. The timing on this was terrible. Violet had invited her to a Meal. Not showing up now could bar her from experiencing this aspect of life ever again.

That was unacceptable.

Yoru leapt from the top of the transport cannon, blurring into a streak of moonlight as she carved through the sky of Arbitage.

This must be dealt with within thirty minutes.

I will not be late.