Return of the Runebound Professor

Azel was waiting in Lee’s mindspace when she arrived in it. That wasn’t all that unusual. He’d taken to hanging around in it more in recent days, but that didn’t stop her from sending him a suspicious look. Azel was watching her with a pensive look in his eyes, his hands crossed behind his back and the flames that smoldered along his clothes contained to faint embers.

“What?” Lee asked. “Why are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” Azel asked. “I am just relaxing.”

“No, you’re leering at me. Are you going to try to convince me not to practice Formations?”

“Absolutely not.” Azel shook his head, and something that might have actually been respect passed through his eyes. The emotion vanished so quickly that it might as well never have been there. A demon such as Azel could not have respect for anyone that wasn’t himself. “Vines has actually stumbled into something interesting. I think it’s worth looking into, and I’ll certainly be studying it myself.”

“Right,” Lee said. She stared at Azel for a second, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, she pressed on. “So why are you standing here like that?”

“Am I not allowed to? It’s a free world.”

“No. You aren’t. This is my soul, not the world.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose it is.” Azel picked at his fingernails, then curled the corner of his lip down in a grimace. “Alas, you’ve got some of my Runes in you, so there’s at least a bit of my soul in here as well.”

“It will,” Azel agreed. “But until then, there isn’t all that much you can do to keep me from spending time with you. Is it really such a horrid concept?”

“Depends on if you’re trying to convince me to do things that I’m not going to do. If you weren’t such an asshole, then nobody would mind spending time around you.” Lee crossed her arms and glared at Azel. “And don’t try to pretend otherwise. You know Noah and Moxie wouldn’t mind that you were a demon. Their problem with you is you.”

Azel held his hands up defensively. “Yes, yes. Unfortunately, I cannot change my nature. I am who I am. And so are you.”

“What’s that meant to mean?”

“It means we both know why you’ve avoided reaching Rank 4 for so long,” Azel said, his brow darkening as he lowered his hands. “It’s not because you haven’t been able to figure out what Runes you want to use. Noah has an offer to get you anything you want, and he already has the Runes you need.”

“I’ve just been thinking. I don’t want to get a bad combination and have to go through another Sundering and healing.”

Azel’s laughter echoed through the dark recesses of Lee’s soul. He shook his head and let out a sigh. “Lee. You do realize I’m a demon, don’t you? That was a good lie, but you’re literally speaking to a master of twisting the truth. The reason you haven’t reached for Rank 4 is because you know that the Rank 4 change for demons isn’t the same as it is for humans. We don’t get a Domain. Are you going to tell me what happens instead, or do I have to remind you?”

It was several seconds before Lee responded.

“Our Demon Rune evolves.”

“Exactly,” Azel said, walking in a circle around Lee and forcing her to turn to keep her eyes on him. “And you fear that you’re going to lose yourself in the process. With how closely our bodies and souls are tied together, it’s only natural.”

“Are you telling me I won’t?”

Azel stopped walking and sent Lee a strange look. She wasn’t actually sure what the emotion on his features was meant to be, but it wasn’t one that she’d ever seen Azel wearing.

“No, Lee. I’m not. I don’t have any reason to lie about that. You will change. Perhaps it will be for the better. Perhaps not. But you will change. There’s a reason the gap between weak Demons and powerful ones is so great. And I certainly hope you don’t plan to remain as a pathetic Rank 3.”

“Why do you care?” Lee demanded. “And so what if I do? I’d rather stay the way I am and stay with my friends than lose everything and become like you.”

Azel’s expression flickered. Strands of Lee’s inky mindspace twisted around them, writhing like an angered squid. He watched them for a moment, then straightened his smoldering suit out and pursed his lips.

“Do you really believe you can remain as you are and still keep them? Noah and Moxie are both growing in power. I won’t try to convince you that they’ll abandon you. Even if I were right, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“You’re right,” Lee said. “I wouldn’t.”

“But you will become a liability. Right now, you’re strong. But Noah has only been on this world for months, and he’s already Rank 4. In a few more months, he may reach Rank 5. His ability to grow is unbelievable. He eclipses even Archdemons in potential. Do you really think he’ll want to worry about protecting a Rank 3 when his opponents are Rank 5 or 6?”

Lee opened her mouth, but she found that she didn’t have an answer. Azel was far from finished, though.

“And, beyond that, what of the Inquisition?” Azel pressed. “Those pathetic fools and their Holy Runes only worked so effectively on you because your soul and body do not yet match. Demons of Rank 3 and below are easily detected and struck down, but once you begin reaching true union of body and soul in Rank 4, you will not be such a liability. There is no way around it, Lee.”

“Well, I’ll find one!” Lee yelled, clenching her fists and baring her teeth. “I won’t become like you!”

The two demons glared at each other. Even though no magic was flying, tension filled the air like a thick syrup, twisting and winding through Lee’s mindspace.

“Why are you doing this?” Lee asked. “Why do you care so much? It’s none of your damn business.”

“Because I’m bored,” Azel growled. “And I’d rather help you than the damn mortal. He doesn’t need my help.”

Something about his answer felt… lacking. Lee couldn’t place what it was, and she didn’t really feel like trying to figure it out either.

“Well, I don’t want your help.”

“I didn’t ask if you wanted it,” Azel said. “You are receiving it, nonetheless. You do realize that you can’t have everything you want, right? If you want power, you have to be willing to change. If you don’t want to change, then you will remain as you are and will eventually be left behind.”

“Well, I want everything. I don’t care about logic. It’s stupid.”

Azel blinked. A snort of laughter escaped his lips and he shook his head. “Spoken like a fool. And spoken like a demon, I suppose. I can’t fault you for that. But I will warn you – there will be a time when you need power. And, if you continue to refuse it like you have been, the people you care about will die. Noah may survive, but Moxie is not as much of a roach as he is. Isabel, Todd, Emily, and the others – they are all fragile. You must be powerful enough to protect what is yours, or it is not yours. Even if you do not push to Rank 4 now, I suggest you start preparing to reach it as soon as possible. Intentional weakness will destroy you.”

With that, Azel vanished in a puff of embers and black smoke. Lee stared at the space where he’d been standing, her shoulders slumping forward in defeat. No matter how infuriating the demon was, he actually had a point.

I can’t just stay like this. I need to get stronger, somehow. I don’t want to become like Azel, though. I don’t want to be so consumed by the emotion I feed on that I become a terrible person.

But… I suppose getting the rest of the Runes I need to reach Rank 4 and filling them up would be a good idea. I don’t have to push ahead until it’s time, but Noah relies on me. If something shows up that he needs help fighting, I can’t let him and the others down.

Lee’s face creased with determination and she sat down, crossing her legs and bracing her palms on her knees. There were several forms of power, and one was the one that Azel had just interrupted her in the process of pursuing.

There would be time to figure out Runes and her progression in the future. For now, she was going to focus on the thought of food. She needed to figure out Formations and see if the power she sought could be achieved in a different way.

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