Return of the Runebound Professor

Ferdinand froze halfway through taking a bite out of his sandwich. Energy tickled the back of his mind, just barely prickling against his senses. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt a usage of power large enough to draw his attention, but this was different.

It was so faint that someone less trained may have construed it as irrelevant. But Ferdinand, while not the most fervent member of his church, had not slouched. He knew the sensation of his Goddess’ power, and he knew the power of the Apostles.

The energy he felt now was, without doubt, reminiscent of Garina’s. His eyes shot over to hers, panicked thoughts flashing through his mind.

I thought Garina said that there wouldn’t be any more of the Apostles here. What is one doing putting out enough power for me to pick it up? They should be more than capable of hiding their energy usage, so whoever that was had to have used so much that they couldn’t conceal it.

But the emotion that Ferdinand found on Garina’s features wasn’t recognition. It was surprise and confusion. She didn’t recognize the power any more than he did – and now, the more that he thought about it, the more the power felt… off.

It only took a brief instant for Ferdinand and Garina to come to the exact same conclusion. The power hadn’t been used by anyone they knew. But, without a doubt, it was the power of the Apostles.

The hair on the back of Ferdinand’s neck stood on end. He couldn’t bring himself to swallow the bite of the sandwich he’d taken. The food tasted like it had turned to ash.

That’s it, isn’t it? Garina wasn’t searching for somebody with Renewal’s powers. She was searching for someone with her Demon God’s powers – or, perhaps, someone who was strong enough to steal from them both.

But, if that’s true…

If it was true, then everything would end. Their partnership, as tenuous as it was, would be over. The chances of two different people just happening to piss off two different gods at the exact same time and location was so unlikely that Ferdinand dismissed it immediately.

They were dealing with someone powerful enough to rob two gods, and they were trampling all over the Rules by existing within the restricted zone. Ferdinand couldn’t bring himself to properly care about any of that, though.

The moment he acknowledged the existence of the magic at the edges of his mind, he and Garina would return to being enemies. She’d know what he sought and would be unable to do anything but strike him down.

He could always make an excuse to try to leave, but he doubted it would fly. And, even if it would, Ferdinand found himself reluctant to even consider the idea. Completing his mission – if such a thing was even possible with an opponent such as this – would mean that all would return to how it had been.

Even if Garina didn’t kill him, Ferdinand would go back to the Church of Repose. He’d never speak to Garina again. The past few months would be nothing but a surprisingly pleasant memory in an endless sea of nothingness.

Ferdinand swallowed. He lowered his sandwich, staring down at it. He could feel Garina’s gaze boring into his forehead. She’d finished her meal already, but he’d made a second sandwich for her. It was sitting in his bag, waiting for when she declared that she was still hungry.

There’s always another path. Life is not black and white. But… what is mine?

“Is something wrong?” Garina asked, her voice even. It was a measured question, one without the slight notes of genuine interest that had crept into their conversations in recent times. Ferdinand might have been mistaken, but it almost felt like there was a faint undercurrent of fear within it.

Not fear of Ferdinand, but fear of what his answer would be. He didn’t respond for several seconds, not willing to let himself speak anything that he would regret. Ferdinand scored his mind, trying to find a solution that didn’t result in death or, worse, a return to the days of just a few weeks ago.

And, in the midst of his search, Ferdinand found an answer. A solution so simple that it was laughable. Even the mere thought of it should have been ridiculous. It was the choice of a fool who cared nothing for their future.

“No,” Ferdinand said, a small smile drifting across his face. “I don’t believe there is.”

“Don’t lie to me. I felt it as well, Ferdinand. You need to leave, don’t you?” Garina asked. Her shoulders were ever so slightly hunched forward, a position of disappointment that Ferdinand suspected no other living being beyond the other Apostles had ever seen. “I – I’ll let you have a head start. If you’re smart, you’ll be out of the Empire before the day is over. I can’t bend the Rules.”

Ferdinand shook his head and reached into his bag, pulling out the second sandwich. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I do not need to leave.”

Garina stared at Ferdinand, confusion playing across her features. “This isn’t a trick offer. It’s the only one you’re going to get. I’m not an idiot. I know you’re after the same person I am. I figured it out a long time ago.”

Ferdinand’s lips pulled up in a grin and he shook his head once more. “You are incorrect, and you cannot act on assumptions when I have done nothing to make you believe that I plan to move against the Rules. I am not searching for the person whom you just felt.”

It wasn’t a lie. Ferdinand wasn’t searching for the person who dared spit in the faces of two different gods. Not anymore.

“Do you perhaps need to leave?” Ferdinand asked, holding the sandwich out. “Because I did make this for you. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.”

“I don’t understand. Are you stupid?” Garina demanded. “When you return to the Church empty-handed, they’ll know you failed. It won’t be easy to see through your lie if even I can break it this easily.”

“It is not a lie. I no longer search for the person you believe I do.”

“No longer? Who are you searching for, then?”

“I believe I have already found them.”

It took a second for her to process what he had said. And, in that moment, Ferdinand became the only living man to see Garina of the Apostles to blush. She gathered herself quickly, but it wasn’t enough to completely wipe the spots of red from her cheeks.

“You’re full of shit,” Garina said, snagging the sandwich from Ferdinand and taking a huge bite out of it.

“I take it this means you don’t need to leave?” Ferdinand asked.

Garina glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She finished off the rest of the sandwich, and the two sat in silence for several seconds. Finally, a small smile pulled at one corner of her lips.

“No. I don’t suppose I do. I’m rather content where I am.”

***

“You have to be kidding me,” Renewal said, staring at the shimmering image of Ferdinand and Garina in the air before her in disbelief and more than a little amusement. “That did not happen. I refuse to believe it.”

She didn’t expect an answer. The universe rarely gave her them, but for once, something was different. A ripple of energy pressed into the back of her mind and she spun away from the screen, drawing on her Runes.

Cracks of black light splintered through the sky above her, and a bolt of severing energy carved through the air. It crashed down before her, sending souls scattering and screaming in terror. She hardly noticed them.

“Decras,” Renewal said, closing the image with a snap of her fingers and narrowing her eyes. “What are you doing here? Do you really dare challenge me twice in a row?”

A throaty laugh echoed from Decras’ throat and he held his hands up. “As amusing as that would be, I prefer not to play the same game twice in a row, especially after we both end up on the losing team to a party that wasn’t even meant to be playing.”

“Why are you here, then?”

“Boredom. Why else?” Decras snorted, then walked up to stand beside Renewal. He raised a hand and strands of black energy coiled up from the ground, forming into a chair. Decras glanced over to the screaming souls and flicked his hand.

Time slammed to a halt around Renewal. Or, more accurately, the time that the souls perceived slammed to a halt. Decras wasn’t anywhere near powerful enough to actually stop time but pulling a few measly souls to a spot where they couldn’t feel its passing was well within his might.

“That’s it?” Renewal asked. “You came by just a few months ago. I’m going to start thinking you’re clingy.”

“I am,” Decras said, not a single shred of sarcasm in his voice. “And I’m here for the exact same reason. You’re watching something interesting, and I’ve always found it more fun to do such things with others.”

Renewal studied Decras for some time. She hadn’t truly run into many gods in her solitary role in the universe. He was one of the few that she did know, even if his attention tended to be fairly destructive.

Their last sparring match had been the reason that Renewal was currently missing a tiny chunk of her power, but she took no small amount of satisfaction in knowing that Decras was no better off.

“How are you going to apologize for causing my loss of power?” Renewal demanded. “Do you have any idea–”

Decras held a hand out, and a small golden core materialized within it. Energy crackled within it with enough intensity to catch even her attention. Renewal’s words died before they could leave her mouth.

“Will this suffice? I’ll have you know that we will be splitting it. I do not give donations.”

“You definitely know how to apologize,” Renewal muttered. She flicked her hand and flowers twisted into a pink throne beneath her. She sat down beside Decras and snapped her fingers, summoning the image of Ferdinand and Garina back to the air before them.

“Cute,” Decras said, squeezing the small marble into two separate halves and giving one to Renewal.

“Where did you even manage to get this?” Renewal asked, staring at the half of the marble in her palm.

“There is great freedom in refusing to be beholden to the universe’s will.”

“More like danger,” Renewal said. “It’s a miracle you haven’t been killed yet. If you’d chosen a different Goddess of Reincarnation to screw with, your head may have been severed from your shoulders by now.”

“But I did not, and it has not,” Decras said idly. “Are you asking me to stop?”

Renewal paused for a moment. Then she let out a sigh and shook her head. “No. I’m not. It adds a bit of excitement to my life, and you’re more interesting than the other Reincarnation Gods and Goddesses.”

Decras grinned and stuck his tongue out, placing the marble on its tip before swallowing it. He drew in a deep breath and let it out with a satisfied grin. “Ah, raw energy never fails to satisfy. If you do not object to my company, you should not be so confrontational when I arrive. Unless it’s actually the sparring that you enjoy?”

Renewal reddened, and Decras let out a burst of laughter.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Just because my Runes are those of life does not mean I don’t enjoy a good match,” Renewal said defensively. Her lips pressed together. “Unfortunately, my fellows disagree.”

“Then I shall be sure to bother you further in the future, no matter how much you request me to stop,” Decras said. He nodded to the screen. “Now, you have much better eyes to the world than I do. What is happening? I am bored.”

“Well,” Renewal said, drawing the word out before letting out a laugh and shaking her head. “I think your subordinate is flirting with mine.”

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