You Thought I Wouldn't Find Out?
[No! Don't disappear! Not like this!]
Deep resentment.
Her screams of resistance rang so fiercely in his head that his eardrums felt like they might burst.
[Your friends! The ones I hid! You won't find them! I'll keep them hidden!]
Her eyes sharpened to points as she glared at him with murderous intent.
But once he reclaimed all the darkness, even the hidden spaces would fall under Rune's dominion. It might take a little time, but finding them wouldn't be hard.
"You're telling me to hand everything over to the bundle's owner? That kind of threat only works on certain people."
[Not a threat! Let's make. A deal.]
"Why bother? Why would I take a shady deal like that?"
It's not like exorcising spirits is new to me.
Rune, having already absorbed more than half the darkness, had no regrets.
The spirit noticed his resolve and, though shooting him venomous looks, quickly added more.
[I'll help. Make this place. Yours. The water domain.]
"What?"
As her power waned, the fairy began shrinking bit by bit.
She was on the verge of vanishing entirely, so her words grew even more desperate.
[Long ago, swallowed by darkness. This place. You'll love it! Perfect!]
"So... you're telling me to conquer the Water Tribe's lair?"
The Blue Dragon lair's situation was dire.
The lair they'd barely purified would be overrun again the moment Rune released the reclaimed darkness.
Amelia's parents, still in need of recovery, lacked the strength to stop it.
The spirit approached Rune and extended her hand.
[Good deal. Right? Devour it. Make it your lair. Then, you can save. Your friends.]
Rune glanced indifferently at the giggling, floating fairy.
"Not interested."
[Liar. You want power. Want to save others.]
"True enough."
Rune readily admitted it and pulled the black pearl from his pocket.
The amulet, infused with his power, gleamed into view.
"But I've got a better way than hunting down the kids or claiming this place."
[N-No way! Impossible!]
Sensing something ominous, the spirit spewed the remaining darkness hostilely and retreated.
Rune smirked at her and placed the darkness-infused black pearl on his palm.
"If you want to live, you'll crawl in on your own."
He resumed absorbing the darkness.
It rushed toward him like receding water.
[Kiyaaak!]
As the darkness vanished in an instant, the spirit's body shriveled.
When she'd shrunk to just a bit larger than the pearl...
[I'm disappearing! No!]
Choking for air, the spirit dove into the black pearl.
Rune, having absorbed all the energy, took a deep breath.
Finally, I can breathe.
The stuffy space now felt refreshing.
[It's cramped in here! Cramped!]
"Annoying. Shut up."
The mosquito-like whining furrowed his brow.
The spirit inside the pearl wailed furiously.
[I'll get revenge!]
"You don't get it, do you?"
Rune gripped the pearl and shook it vigorously up and down.
[Kyaaak! Stop! Stop!]
Shrill screams and curses erupted from within.
No mercy. Rune leisurely shook the orb in all directions.
[S-Stop! No revenge!]
"Hmm. Wonder if I can trust that."
[Kyaaak! I won't! Promise! Spare me!]
He didn't want to let her off, but passing out would just be a hassle.
After a few more surrender cries, Rune stopped shaking.
"Alright. Probably dizzy as hell, but snap out of it. Guide me to my companions. Now."
[D-Devil! Devil!]
"Shake?"
[...I'll do it! I will!]
"Good. First, the redhead who's pissed off... no, the one brimming with fire energy."
The black pearl bobbed into the air, grumbling.
Rune crossed his arms and tilted his head.
Once she's outlived her usefulness, I'll send her to the heavens or whatever. Experience tells me leaving resentful pests around just causes trouble.
Hiding his thoughts, Rune followed the direction the dark pearl pointed.
The fairy had her own schemes too.
Inside the black pearl, she fumed, trembling with venom unfit for her tiny body.
Bad guy. Treating a fairy like this! Just wait!
Rune's advice was just nagging she ignored.
Even though the darkness had originally been his, she acted like it was hers.
It didn't matter. She couldn't match him anyway.
[This way.]
"You sure?"
[Yes! This w— Gack!]
The darkness, like oxygen, was sucked away, and she clutched her throat, gasping.
A few seconds later, Rune replenished the darkness's power. She glared at him, panting.
[Why! Why do that?]
"You tried leading me astray. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Inside the pearl, the fairy scowled in rage.
[How?]
"Why would I tell you?"
Fuming silently, she said nothing.
The fairy had tried to sabotage the guidance to keep him from his companions.
Without precautions, he'd have wasted time trusting her.
A mean prank to her, but to Rune, it endangered his group.
Any pity gone, he replied coldly to her venomous urging.
"You really don't know who I am. If something happens to my companions because of your nasty tricks, you won't get off easy."
[...]
The scowling fairy turned her head sharply and kicked the pearl's walls.
"Guide me."
[...Fine! I will!]
"Good."
She glared at Rune, who shrugged and waved lazily, then floated ahead with the pearl.
They must all have their black pearls.
In truth, he could roughly sense the direction of his companions' pearls.
He couldn't map her every step, but wrong turns were obvious.
Plus, the pearl housing her was made from his power, so her intentions shone through clearly.
In short, from the moment she entered his black pearl, she was in the palm of Buddha's hand.
Ignorant of this, the fairy sneaked glances at him before finally guiding properly.
Worst case, I can summon Heungmi and Dullahan myself.
For them, darkness wasn't a big issue—it'd be good training for handling sudden crises.
Perdikion worried him a bit, though.
Not used to total darkness without a speck of light.
Fire affinity, close to light, would clash worst with darkness.
Surrounded like this, it was like sealing fire in water and shadow.
And inside a water dungeon? Worst matchup ever.
Fire trapped in water and darkness? No ordinary fire being would survive.
[There! Look!]
Bubbling sounds.
Rune instantly recognized the orange-red-scaled hatchling as Perdikion.
Tossed into the black water, he was unconscious.
Just curled tightly, floating in the void.
Rune unleashed Dragon Fear to terrify foes and asked the spirit.
"Your doing?"
[Hmph! Just trapped him.]
Her answer was defiant, but her vibe shrunken.
Right then, Perdikion—eyes closed in his true form—furrowed his brow and slowly opened them.
"Kyaaau!"
"Brother."
Ignoring Rune's call, Perdikion bristled his scales, glaring fiercely at something in the dark.
The dark shape was a massive black-smoke dragon.
He's afraid of that.
Rune eyed the pearl with the fairy inside.
"Why's he like that?"
The fairy snickered wickedly.
[Watching. An illusion. His most painful one.]
"Get him out. Now."
[C-Can't.]
As Rune's gaze hardened, the terrified fairy—fearing another shake—spilled more.
[He wanted it. Himself.]
Shaking the pearl amulet yielded the same response.
No time.
Like Amelia's madness-stricken parents, the illusions in the darkness would erode his sense of self.
Not fully consumed by darkness yet. Problem is... he won't hold out long like this.
Rune commanded the dark shape.
"Return. To the master of darkness."
The darkness scattered briefly before reforming into the dragon.
Ignoring Rune's order, a snide proposal came.
[Deal with me. Then I'll help. Maybe?]
He brushed off the persistent offer.
"One-track minds, these clingy ones."
With that, Rune gripped the pearl and shook it wildly up, down, side to side.
Shrieks and curses echoed from it, soon turning to pleas for mercy.
Ignoring her, Rune shook until she might faint, then checked Perdikion—scales fully bristled.
...Bound tight.
Thanks to Christina's offbeat lessons, Rune was adept at handling such forces.
He guessed the cause at a glance.
The giant dragon before Perdikion was a phantasm born from his mental scars and dark memories.
Not just any illusion—it preyed on his deepest, darkest pains.
Magnifying his inner wounds, amplifying agony.
Despite Rune arriving soon, Perdikion was fully immersed, no sign of waking.
Easy prey for dark magic, probably from using the Dark-stained Scent Box with Dullahan.
The darkness-tainted box boosted his control but risked intoxication as a side effect.
Rune groaned, arms crossed.
No self-rescue now. Need a way to pull him out safely.
Pondering, he spotted the black pearl clutched in Perdikion's forepaw.
A sly grin as he rubbed his chin.
Lucky he held onto it.
No delay—he focused on the pearl's power.
Rune merged his consciousness with the darkness infesting Perdikion.
That dark dragon must be his father, Pasiyas. Hang on a bit, Perdikion. I'll help.
"Kya... kyauuk."
Rune closed his eyes as Perdikion clutched his head in torment.
***
Thwack!
"Kyak!"
Roll, tumble.
The plump young hatchling—red and crimson scales mixed—tumbled harshly across the floor from the cudgel blow.
The old man with slicked-back red hair and bandit-like bushy mustache bellowed.
"You pathetic, brainless fool!"