Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 557: Legacy Trials I

CH557 Legacy Trials I

***

Alex was taken aback by the old man’s words.

"You can see our Providence?" he asked. "I mean... our Fate and Fortune?"

"Not exactly." The old man shook his head. "At my level, one eventually develops a sense that can feel out Fate and Fortune— Providence, as you call it.

"This sense is not usually precise, even when there is a vast disparity between the observer and the target. However, within this Grand talismanic field, that perception can be amplified."

"I can tell that each of them carries significant fortune. Exactly how great, I cannot say with certainty. What I can say is that it is sufficient for them to have eventually pass the Labyrinth test," the old man explained.

"As for you..." He turned back to Alex. "I cannot sense your Fate and Fortune at all. It is as though you are a vortex into which my perception simply vanishes. Considering your rank, it is impossible for you to deflect my probe, so one might assume your Fate and Fortune are negligible. However, if that were true, you would not possess the fortune required to gather —and lead— a group whose members carry such high... ’Providence’."

"Then there is the powerful aura of Fortune surrounding you. An aura so potent it appears Fortune itself favours you. So much so that it was actively pointing the way for you back in the Labyrinth.

"With that in mind, I would rather believe your Providence is shielded by something... or that your Providence possesses a nature that cannot —or must not— be probed. In that case, you are certainly someone capable of bearing the legacy I safeguard here."

"And you won’t tell us what this legacy is until we pass the trial?" Alex asked.

"Until ’you’ pass the trial," the old man corrected. "Only one individual may undertake it. And you are the one best suited to do so."

The old man spoke without the slightest concern for the others’ feelings.

Fortunately, the others did not object.

With his eyes still closed, Alex ’looked’ towards the mysterious old man.

"Can we... or rather, can I refuse to take this trial?" he asked.

"Most certainly," the old man replied with a nod. "This legacy is not one that can be borne by someone forced into it. It must be accepted willingly."

Alex’s eyelids trembled, though he forced them to remain shut.

"Does passing your trial mean that I immediately bear the legacy?" he asked.

The old man’s eyes brightened, and a wide smile spread across his face. He nodded appreciatively at Alex’s caution while stroking his beard.

"No," he answered. "The trial determines whether you are worthy of the legacy. Only once you have proven your worth will you learn what the legacy entails. After that, you may choose whether to bear it or not.

"While the legacy carries immense responsibility, it also offers opportunity and benefits that many would wage wars over."

"So, to confirm, only by passing your trials will I earn the right to ask the questions I have. And only afterwards will I need to choose whether to bear the legacy. Is that correct?" Alex asked.

"Exactly," the old man confirmed.

"Alright. I accept," Alex said.

Daddy Golden Energy had guided him here for a reason. Since he had arrived, he might as well see it through to the end.

"What would happen to them while I am undergoing the trial?" Alex asked.

"They may choose to undergo the trial alongside you," the old man replied. "While they will not be able to receive the legacy, they can still learn much from the process. And besides, the trials themselves carry individual rewards."

The mysterious old man waved his arm, directing the party’s attention towards a series of steles positioned within a large courtyard adjacent to the garden.

"To bear the legacy I wish to impart is to bear the history of sorcery itself. In that case, you must experience the trials of the different branches of sorcery," the old man said as he brought the group before the steles.

He explained, "Sorcery is vast and all-encompassing. However, the sorcerers of the past, in their wisdom, divided Sorcery into seven primary branches— Internal or Elemental Sorcery; External or Physique Tempering Sorcery; Negating, Hexing, or Grey Sorcery; Armament, or Weapon Sorcery; Craftsmanship Sorcery; Transmutation, or Alchemy Sorcery; and Beast Taming, or Anima Sorcery."

"Each of the steles before you represents a trial corresponding to one of these major branches of Sorcery," the old man continued. He turned towards Alex’s wives and his followers. "Each of you may approach a stele and attempt the trial of whichever branch appeals to you.

"If you possess Fate and Fortune —Providence— aligned with that branch, the trial will begin. If not, your attempt will be rejected."

They looked towards Alex. Sensing their gazes, he gave them a reassuring nod. In response, they nodded towards the old man.

The mysterious old man then turned his attention back to Alex.

"As for you, you must pass the trials of all the steles in order to be deemed worthy of the legacy," he said.

"You mentioned seven branches, yet there are eight steles here, Your Excellency," Zora pointed out.

"Ah, yes..." The old man turned towards the relatively smaller stele positioned behind the seven larger ones representing the primary branches. "That is the Stele of Heaven Secrets," he said.

"The Stele of Heaven Secrets?" Alex echoed.

"The stele represents the Heaven Secrets Sect— a divergent school of sorcery born from a schism in a bygone era," the old man explained.

To Alex’s ears, the old man’s tone carried a faint sense of fondness... along with a trace of melancholy.

The old man continued, "You must pass the Heaven Secrets Stele as well. However, you may only attempt it after successfully completing the other seven."

Alex nodded in understanding.

"You may begin whenever you are ready," the old man said, stepping aside.

"Are you alright to do this, Master?" Udara asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I’m fine. I think it’s better now," Alex replied.

As if to prove his words, he slowly opened his eyes.

A dull throb immediately pulsed through his head, but it was far milder than before. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The pain was still there —irritatingly so— but thankfully it was bearable. He could function.

To say he felt strange would be an understatement.

The last time he had not seen the vibrant flow of mana within his vision was during the talent examination he underwent when he first arrived at the DragonHold Enclave more than six years ago.

That meant that, since transmigrating into this life, the amount of time he had experienced truly ’normal’ vision amounted to little more than a blink.

He had always perceived mana flowing through his sight, and his brain had long since adapted to passively processing that constant stream of information.

To suddenly lose that vibrancy filling his vision was... unsettling, to say the least.

’No wonder my brain is showing withdrawal symptoms,’ Alex sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately, he did not know how long this state would last, when his perception would return to normal, or what aftereffects might follow.

’Only time will tell.’

While Alex reflected on his situation, the other members of the party —reassured by him— moved towards their chosen steles.

Their choices were not particularly surprising.

Zora approached the Elemental Stele. Eleanore moved to the Alchemy Stele. Udara, Silver, Havel, and Kavakan walked towards the Armament Stele. Mogal approached the Physique Tempering Stele, while Sugud chose the Craftsmanship Stele.

Under the old man’s guidance, they sat before the three-metre-tall, two-metre-wide steles and projected their spiritual force and intent into them.

Soon, the group slipped into a trance as they began experiencing their individual trials.

Seeing that they were stable, Alex stepped forward to undertake his own.

For reasons he could not fully explain, he chose to begin with the Grey Stele.

He sat before it and extended his Spiritual Force inward.

Crack!

’Huh...?’

As he did, he heard something shatter... then break.

***