Can You Prove It?
Whoa! To receive Rune's approval like this. I'm so proud!
While at it, I was thinking of naming this communication stone. Got any good ideas?
An awkward silence followed Jed's words, which subtly fished for Rune's response.
Fortunately, Heungmi's message popped up.
Rune fell into thought as he watched Heungmi panic and Jed chime in with his weird exclamations.
Come to think of it, there's a word for when a bunch of people gather like this for fun.
Rune's fingers moved.
He'd meant to write 'mokkoji,' but realized too late there was a typo. By then, Jed had already replied.
Correcting it now would be a hassle, so Rune explained the meaning first.
…….
Before Rune could even interject, Jed had already whipped up weird but catchy onomatopoeia like 'Mokoji, mokomoko!'
…….
Rune watched Jed burn with enthusiasm and Heungmi ride the wave, then agreed to the new name for the communication stone: Mokoji Stone.
Fine. Whatever the name, practicality comes first.
Rune slowly typed out the one improvement he wanted most.
Good.
The key was fixing that anvil-hammer clang every time a notification hit.
Jed had been unilaterally sending messages every morning as "demo" tests, leaving Rune exhausted.
I'd pass out after classes, only to jolt awake from the alerts.
Sometimes he even wanted to hurl the Mokoji Stone across the room—that thud! sound set his nerves on edge.
If not for Jed's thoughtfulness in developing it to contact him in the human world, Rune would've vented his rage long ago.
Once it arrives, I can duplicate one for Amelia too.
Mana stones were easy to get, and both were dragons who could freely wield mana.
Hand them over once, and they'd use them without mana worries.
Exchanging messages will make info-sharing and bonding easier with less effort.
Bonds with the strong.
Rune planned to build camaraderie through the Mokoji Stone.
A few days later.
Rune, in his true form, received the upgraded Mokoji Stone and immediately duplicated one using a blue sapphire mana stone.
He then used a duplicate Mana Key to open a door to Amelia's lair.
Unlike Perdikion, Amelia couldn't announce visitors, so he'd made the duplicate Mokoji Stone for that.
At his side were Dullahan and Baekya.
Christina had been amazed at first that Baekya and Dullahan—opposing attributes—got along, then reached her own conclusion.
"It's probably because they both carry great souls: a phoenix feather in Baekya, and a noble spirit in Dullahan."
Christina called Baekya "the bird that sees into souls." From that day, she properly addressed Dullahan by name.
For Rune, it was better than Dullahan always being called some irreverent "object."
Still, calling it "the bird that sees into souls" felt too grandiose for such a... baby bird.
"Kyuu huuu."
Rune shook his head.
To me, it just looks like a bird no matter how I see it.
He eyed the white bird perched on his head, preening its feathers with its beak.
"Pii!"
Clank! Clink!
After losing so many feathers last time, Baekya had hidden behind Heungmi whenever it saw Rune for a while.
But as its new feathers grew even finer, its attitude shifted.
Sometimes it stared at Rune with sparkling eyes, or cutely chirped while rubbing its cheek against his.
Seemed the bird saw Rune's feather harvest as a deliberate boon for its molt.
Recovering smoothly.
Baekya's plumage was whiter and fluffier than before.
Its lengthening feathers now showed a graceful elegance.
The bird often flicked its fancier tail feathers proudly, eyes gleaming in satisfaction.
It really loves its new feathers.
Rune would've bet every mana stone he had that Baekya tagged along to show off to Amelia.
Well, nothing wrong with a bird grooming itself.
Baekya taking to feather care was good for Rune too.
Now I can harvest phoenix feathers every molt season.
He smirked inwardly.
Standing before the water boundary, Rune removed his bracelet, shifted to hatchling form, and dove into the sea.
[Rune!]
Amelia approached, wagging her tail, her water-blue hair flowing.
Her spear form had grown familiar, skills improving daily.
Come to think of it, she's probably trained harder than most.
At first, she'd been awkward with the spear.
Sparring with Dullahan blistered her hands.
Learning martial arts from scratch, yet she's keeping up better than expected.
Around the same time, Rune's own combat classes had been grueling.
Stamina and wounds healed, but mental fatigue built up.
Christina said her healing magic patched the mind somewhat, but Rune's innate nature made it imperfect.
I need to step it up too.
Rune chuckled inwardly and handed Amelia the Mokoji Stone.
"Kyuu."
[Take this first.]
[Wh-what's... this?]
"Kyuuu."
[It's called a Mokoji Stone. A communication artifact.]
Rune pulled out his own and demonstrated for the puzzled Amelia.
Even underwater in a blue dragon's mana-rich lair, transmission worked fine.
[S-so... I write here... and you can see it?]
"Kyuu, kyuu kyuu."
[Yeah. Even if you don't check right away, messages save, so reply later.]
[……!]
Amelia fiddled endlessly with the blue Mokoji Stone, full of wonder.
Rune gauged the mood and broached gently.
[Any tough parts in training lately? Overdoing it anywhere?]
The girl tilted her head, then shook it.
[N-no, none.]
Rune met her innocent blue eyes, weighing if she meant it.
[Really?]
No matter the talent, training was always hard, overwhelming at times.
The thrill of progress was fun, but gains came unevenly.
Plus, Amelia's personality meant she'd blame herself if something felt off.
Just recently, she thought she was worthless. Telling her otherwise won't stick if she doesn't believe it.
That's why he'd given intense, focused drills, endless spear work.
But mindsets didn't shift overnight.
Training slumps could drag her back.
Better if she vented like Perdikion, but that's not her style.
She took self-blame as normal, so he needed to hear her out.
As he stared, Amelia blinked a few times, then dropped her trembling gaze to the spear in her hand.
[Um... Before meeting you, I was... dying... slowly.]
[…….]
[Th-the darkness... eating my heart and body... hurt, scared me. Felt like a curse. Why was I... born like this? I resented it.]
Rune recalled Christina's cradle-side mutterings about blue dragons.
Didn't catch the details then, but it was worry for Amelia.
The water kin had sealed dark power inside their egg-bound hatchlings.
[B-but... even resentment... became pointless. Didn't know what to do. I just... breathed, survived. Then you told me... I'd endured well.]
Purrble.
Amelia held her breath, clenched her fist, exhaled hard, and continued haltingly.
[It still... hurts, scares me... but...]
She lifted her head, eyes straight and shining as she met Rune's gaze.
[I... want to train hard... get strong. And someday, wake... Mom and Dad.]
Clear water-blue light, untainted by shadow, shone through.
Rune smiled slowly.
[Good resolve.]
Amelia's eyes, met head-on, burned with unprecedented determination.
The clearest blue he'd seen.
Young, but Amelia was next in line for the water kin's leadership.
Time to test it.
[Amelia. Can you prove your words?]
[Pr-prove? How?]
[You've trained sparring with Dullahan. Time for real combat.]
Rune grinned at her wide-eyed stare.
For someone this resolved, sticking to safe methods would be a shame.
Amelia tensed at "real combat" but nodded once.
Rune admired her resolve with a pleased "hoo."
Confidence building nicely. Perfect.
"Kyuu. Kyuuu."
[Follow me deeper into the passage then?]
Rune had just the way to boost her morale and skills.