The Guardian gestured to the ground, where the ancient runes sprawled across the stone like veins of an enormous beast.
Moving. Twisting. Shifting in a language long forgotten by the world.
"You must learn to read these," it said. "Only then will you begin to understand their true nature."
Argolaith knelt, tracing his fingers over the shifting symbols.
They felt warm beneath his touch, almost alive.
"I’ve studied runes before," he said slowly, "but these… these are different."
Kaelred flipped through his tome, comparing the runes to the texts inside.
"The script matches some of the ones Vaelthion gave me, but the structure is completely different."
Malakar, arms crossed, studied the symbols with an almost detached amusement.
"Ah, the forgotten scripts," he mused. "I remember a time when these were commonplace."
Kaelred glared. "Of course you do."
The Guardian’s massive stone fingers tapped the ground, and the runes reacted-
Glowing brighter, shifting faster, forming a new pattern before their eyes.
"Do not rely on mere recognition," it instructed. "To wield them, you must first understand their purpose."
Argolaith narrowed his eyes.
Purpose.
These weren’t just symbols of power.
They were instructions.
And they had been written for a reason.
Hours passed as they studied.
Argolaith traced the patterns of the runes, committing them to memory.
Kaelred worked through the translations, using the tome as a guide.
Malakar? He simply watched, offering a smirk whenever they got frustrated.
"Ah, struggling, are we?" he teased. "The ancient ones did love their complex puzzles."
Kaelred shot him a look. "We could use some help."
Malakar shrugged. "Oh no, this is far too entertaining."
Argolaith rolled his eyes, focusing on the task at hand.
The runes changed subtly, forming new structures whenever he concentrated on them.
It was as if the language itself reacted to his intent.
Then—he made a mistake.
A single wrong stroke on the formation.
And suddenly—the air around them shifted.
The earth trembled.
The runes pulsed violently, as if rejecting his interference.
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Kaelred’s eyes widened. "Uh… Argolaith?"
Malakar grinned. "Oh, now you’ve done it."
The Guardian reacted instantly, placing a massive hand over the formation.
The tremors stopped.
The runes calmed.
But Argolaith felt the weight of his mistake.
The Guardian’s gaze settled on him.
"This is why you must be careful."
Argolaith exhaled sharply. "I get it. One wrong move, and everything goes to hell."
The Guardian nodded.
"Control. Precision. Awareness. These are the foundations of mastering the runes."
Kaelred sighed. "Great. This is going to take forever."
Malakar chuckled. "Oh, don’t worry. I have all the time in the world."
Kaelred groaned. "That makes one of us."
By the time the moons had risen high in the sky, they had made progress.
The runes no longer reacted violently to their touch.
Instead, they flowed naturally beneath their hands.
Argolaith wiped sweat from his forehead. "This is… exhausting."
Kaelred nodded. "Tell me about it. I feel like my brain is melting."
Malakar stretched lazily. "You mortals and your fragile minds. It’s adorable, really."
Kaelred glared. "Shut up, Malakar."
The Guardian watched them in silence.
Then, it spoke once more.
"You are beginning to understand. But this is only the first step."
Argolaith stood, rolling his shoulders.
"Then what’s next?"
The Guardian’s eyes flared.
"Now, we test what you have learned."
The air grew heavier.
The runes on the ground shifted once more, forming a circle around them.
Argolaith felt the power building beneath his feet.
Kaelred gripped his sword. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Malakar smirked. "Oh, I definitely have a bad feeling about this. But that just makes it all the more exciting."
The Guardian’s voice boomed.
"If you are to wield these runes, you must learn to survive them."
The light intensified.
And then—something stepped out from the runes.
Not a beast.
Not a human.
But something else entirely.
Its body was woven from the very runes they had studied, shifting, adapting, glowing with an eerie energy.
Argolaith’s heart pounded.
Kaelred’s grip tightened on his sword.
Malakar… laughed.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
And just like that—
The trial had begun.
The moment the rune-forged entity stepped from the formation, the air shifted.
The temperature plummeted, and an unnatural pressure pressed against Argolaith’s chest.
It wasn’t just alive—it was sentient.
Glowing lines of energy pulsed across its body, shifting and rearranging into patterns that defied logic.
Kaelred gritted his teeth. "That thing is—"
Before he could finish, the creature moved.
And it moved fast.
A flash of runic energy streaked toward them, arcing like a whip of pure light.
Argolaith barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side. The stone where he had been standing melted instantly, scorched with raw power.
Kaelred cursed. "Yeah. Definitely not friendly."
Malakar? He simply watched, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his undead eyes.
"Well? Don’t just stand there. Fight."
Argolaith dashed forward, sword in hand.
The rune-creature twisted, its body shifting like liquid stone, reforming its limbs into jagged blades.
It was adapting.
The first clash was like a thunderstrike.
Argolaith’s blade met the creature’s runic arm—but instead of cutting through, his sword barely scratched the surface.
A shockwave rippled through the ruins.
Kaelred took the opportunity to strike from the side, his blade aiming for what should have been a weak spot—
Only for his sword to rebound as if he had struck solid iron.
Kaelred stumbled back. "Oh, that’s just fantastic."
The Guardian watched from the side, its massive glowing eyes unblinking.
"Your swords will not cut through it."
Argolaith gritted his teeth. "Then how the hell are we supposed to beat it?"
The Guardian’s answer came in a single word.
"Think."
Argolaith darted backward, Kaelred moving beside him.
Their weapons were useless.
The creature was made of runes.
Which meant… it wasn’t just a body—it was a spell.
Kaelred realized it at the same time.
"The structure!" he shouted. "Argolaith! It’s built the same way as the formations we studied!"
Malakar smirked. "Oh, good. I was starting to think you two were hopeless."
Argolaith’s mind raced. Your journey continues with freewebnovel
If it was built like a formation, then that meant—
He didn’t need to fight it physically.
He needed to disrupt its sequence.
His hand shot to his ring.
He activated a stored rune—one that disrupted magical fields.
The moment the rune activated, the creature staggered, its glowing lines flickering.
It worked.
But only for a moment.
The runes rearranged themselves instantly, and the creature regenerated before their eyes.
Argolaith cursed. "It’s adapting too fast!"
Kaelred flipped through his tome, searching desperately for something that could help.
Then, he saw it.
A counter-sequence—a way to force a formation to collapse in on itself.
"Argolaith! We need to hit it with multiple disruptions at the same time!"
Malakar grinned. "Now this is getting interesting."
They moved as one.
Argolaith rushed forward, forcing the creature to focus on him.
Kaelred, behind him, quickly sketched out runes in the air, tracing lines of energy from his tome.
Malakar? He simply laughed, watching with curiosity.
"Hurry up, before it decides to stop playing with you."
The rune-creature lashed out, its energy shifting wildly.
Argolaith dodged, slicing through the air, using his sword to carve a counter-rune into the ground.
Kaelred finished his sequence.
And in that moment, the ruins blazed with power.
The creature froze mid-strike.
Then—
It shattered.
Glowing runes scattered like embers, fading into the air.
The energy dissipated, leaving only silence.
The Guardian watched, then slowly nodded.
"You have done well."
Argolaith fell to one knee, gasping for breath.
Kaelred wiped sweat from his brow. "That… was harder than it needed to be."
Malakar sighed. "A shame. I was hoping it would kill you."
Kaelred glared. "Thanks, Malakar."
The Guardian’s voice rumbled once more.
"You have proven your ability to adapt. That is what separates those who learn from those who perish."
Argolaith slowly stood.
"So… do we pass?"
The Guardian’s eyes gleamed.
"Yes. And now… you will receive your reward."