The fire crackled low, its embers casting flickering shadows against the cold stone walls of the ruined temple. Aeron sat across from Segirus, his hands still aching from the brutal rune training. His mind was fogged with exhaustion, but he knew better than to rest now.
Tonight was different. Segirus had been silent, staring into the flames, his usual sharp demeanor tempered by something Aeron had never seen before—hesitation.
After hours of grueling failures, Aeron expected another round of instruction. Another lesson in humiliation, another impossible challenge. But instead, Segirus had simply sat down and stared at the fire.
Minutes stretched into silence. Aeron's patience frayed.
"You're holding something back," Aeron finally said, his voice rough.
Segirus exhaled slowly. "I am."
Aeron leaned forward. "Why?"
Segirus' silver eyes lifted to meet his. "Because you were not ready."
Aeron scoffed. "And I am now?"
Segirus tilted his head slightly. "Barely." He reached into his cloak, retrieving a scroll so old its edges had burned away, leaving only fragments of ink on aged parchment.
"This," Segirus said, unrolling it carefully, "is one of the last records of The Erased Law of Runes."
Aeron narrowed his eyes. The Erased Law? He had never heard of such a thing before.
Segirus placed the scroll between them. "Rune magic, as you understand it, is a language of reality itself. It is not mere symbols, nor spells. It is law. Every rune represents a truth—a fundamental rule woven into the fabric of existence."
Aeron frowned. "Like how the Fire Rune governs heat, or the Protection Rune reinforces barriers?"
Segirus nodded. "Yes. But long ago, there existed runes far greater than these. Runes that did not just control aspects of the world but could rewrite it."
Aeron swallowed.
Segirus tapped the scroll. "Runes like these."
Aeron's eyes scanned the markings. They were different. Unlike the structured runes he had studied, these twisted upon themselves, forming impossible shapes. The longer he stared, the more his vision swam.
He felt… wrong. As if his mind was struggling to comprehend something it wasn't meant to.
"These," Segirus said, "were the Forbidden Runes."
Aeron looked away, catching his breath. "Why… why do they feel like that?"
"Because they are not just symbols. They are absolute. They do not obey mortal understanding, nor divine will. They are… truths that should not be known."
Aeron frowned. "That doesn't make sense. If they existed, why are they forbidden? Who forbade them?"
Segirus' expression darkened.
"The Old Gods. And later, the New Gods who took their place."
Aeron felt his pulse quicken.
Segirus continued. "Rune Magic is unlike other forms of power. A sword can be wielded. A spell can be countered. A kingdom can fall. But a Rune, once carved into reality, is eternal. It does not fade, nor can it be undone. Not by mortals. Not by gods."
Aeron's stomach turned. "Then… how did they erase them?"
Segirus exhaled sharply. "They didn't."
Aeron blinked. "What?"
Segirus' gaze was cold. "They could not erase them. They could only erase the knowledge of them."
Aeron swallowed hard.
"The Forbidden Runes were not just powerful," Segirus continued. "They were dangerous beyond measure. They defied natural laws. Some could erase a soul from existence itself. Others could rewrite fate, undo time, or consume the very essence of reality."
Aeron exhaled slowly. "And… someone used them?"
Segirus' expression darkened further. "Many did. And every time they were invoked, the world suffered."
He tapped the scroll again, pointing to a rune more intricate than the others.
"This," Segirus said, his voice lowering, "was Ragnarok. The Rune of Absolute Destruction."
Aeron felt his chest tighten.
"This rune," Segirus continued, "was not a weapon, nor a spell. It was a concept. If carved into existence, it did not merely destroy. It erased. Anything it touched ceased to be—not just physically, but in all aspects of existence. It erased things from memory, from history, from causality itself."
Aeron's breath came shallow.
"There were wars over these runes," Segirus continued. "Wars fought not with armies, but with ideas and reality itself. Civilizations were erased overnight, entire histories rewritten."
Aeron clenched his fists. "And the gods allowed this?"
Segirus' eyes turned sharp. "They did not allow it. They feared it."
Aeron swallowed.
"The Old Gods tried to contain the Forbidden Runes, but they failed. Even gods could not erase what had already been carved into existence. So instead, they made a choice."
Segirus leaned forward. His next words came slow, deliberate.
"They rewrote the world."
Aeron felt his stomach drop. "What?"
"The Gods did not erase the Forbidden Runes," Segirus said. "They erased the memory of them. They rewrote the fundamental structure of reality, so that none—mortal, divine, or otherwise—could recall their existence. The knowledge of these runes was purged, burned from history itself."
Aeron shook his head. "But… you know of them."
Segirus nodded. "Because not all knowledge can be erased. There are always remnants. Fragments left behind. Old records, lingering memories, whispers in ancient ruins." He gestured to the scroll. "This is one such remnant."
Aeron's mind reeled. "So… why teach me?"
Segirus' gaze was heavy. "Because something is changing."
Aeron frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The seals the gods placed upon these runes are weakening. Someone is trying to bring them back. And if they succeed…" Segirus trailed off.
Aeron didn't need him to finish the sentence.
If they succeeded, even the gods would not be able to stop what comes next.
Silence fell between them.
Aeron looked down at the scroll, his mind racing.
"…Can these runes still be used?" he asked carefully.
Segirus hesitated.
Then, slowly, he said, "Yes. But there is a cost."
Aeron felt his skin prickle. "What cost?"
Segirus closed his eyes.
"To use the Forbidden Runes, one must pay with more than just magic or life." He opened his eyes, staring into Aeron's soul. "One must pay with existence itself."
Aeron's breath caught.
"If you invoke one of these runes," Segirus said, "it will not merely take your life. It will take your past, your future, your very being. You will be erased—not just from the world, but from time, from memory, from all things."
Aeron felt a shiver down his spine.
"You will have never existed."
The fire crackled.
Aeron exhaled slowly. His hands trembled slightly as he looked at the Forbidden Runes.
For the first time since beginning his training, he was truly afraid.