While the first release of power was probably the most visually dramatic, it was also the least impactful. Laced with Nivian’s authority, buoyed by Wule’s control of the energy—the offering of a choice—and carried by the raw power of the Urn of Ur’Thul, the first wave merely set the stage. It was the knock on the door, the invitation of what was to come, that informed the thousands of trapped souls of what would follow.

  To Hiral, runic-equation-equivalents flared freeform through the air as he peeked behind the curtain of what was happening. Even if the twins, the Urn, the lich powering it, or even the PIMP stretching its connections out didn’t realize it, the action had runic shenanigans underlying everything happening. Some of them were runes Hiral knew and controlled—such as Energy and Connection—while other concepts were things he understood, but had never seen before.

  It was fascinating, though even with his Atn, it was over far too fast. The first outward wave reached the far corners of the city of Trevallen within a second, the replies coming back almost instantly. There was no hesitation. No rejection. A chance to escape the never-ending pain and suffering? Sign them up.

  With the replies, Nivian’s power flared around him, his Aspect forming from the waist up to tower above him. There, the image of Landbreaker the Titan surveyed the city and the new members of the clan about to be reborn under Nivian’s authority.

  “Rise,” Nivian said. The single word didn’t boom in power or volume, but instead passed through the city like a dainty finger running down everybody’s spines at the same time. As soon as he spoke, torrential energy flooded through his hand and into the caretaker who would be the first of many.

  Wholly unprepared for what was about to happen to him, the caretaker’s entire body stiffened, arms spreading back and to his sides like he’d been caught in a massive wave. Back went his head, blue energy flooding from his eyes and mouth in columns of light that stretched for the ceiling. The hooded robe he’d been wearing the whole time shredded in the whirlpool of power, the bandages going with them, to reveal the four-armed Possessed underneath. Emaciated, bruised, and cut in a dozen places, there was no way he wasn’t suffering every second.

  Until now.

  In front of him, Nivian’s eyes flared again, his presence winding down his arm, and hitting the naked caretaker like a hammer. The impact literally blasted the Pilgrim out of him, a ghostly, blue-and-purple flame shape extending from the back of the caretaker’s waist. Complete with the four arms, wings, and horned head of a Pilgrim, the spectral presence leaned forward and wrapped its arms around the caretaker. Almost as if it was asleep, the Pilgrim put its own head on the caretaker’s shoulder in a loving gesture.

  As for the caretaker himself, gone from his body were the wounds and injuries he’d taken over the years and centuries. Along with all the traits that would mark him as a Possessed. No more alabaster skin, extra limbs, horns, or anything else. Instead, he was just a human man again.

  Albeit one with a spectral demon connected to him at the back of his waist.

  “Their souls remain connected, though the Pilgrim took the injuries with him to spare his previous host,” Li’l Ur said. “Impressive.”

  Hiral was about to add his own comment to the lich’s, when the Pilgrim-ghost’s head also tilted back, blue light flooding from its eyes and mouth to join that of the caretaker’s. Twinned like that, the two energies joined in the bottom of Hiral’s runic funnel. Acting like the catalyst it was, the injection of energy and instructions roared up the funnel, gaining momentum and power the entire way, before it came absolutely flooding out of the top.

  Where it promptly got picked up by the secondary runic circles Hiral had created for exactly this occurrence. Energy flowed like purple-and-blue-flame rivers across the ceiling above Trevallen, until it met the next in the series of runic funnels. These ones, acting more like drains than amplifiers poured the process down on the Possessed below like a waterfall.

  All across the city, thirty-six columns of blue-and-purple lit up the darkness. Above them all, runes etched in the ceiling glowed fiercely as they absorbed any excess energy escaping from the funnels, multiplied it, then sent it streaming back down on the wide city.

  Like the rising of a new sun—a new chance—the light of it spread and grew, shining with an unexpected future for those who began to stir. As it happened with the caretaker, the first blast of energy stiffened the bodies of all it touched, before blasting the Pilgrim right of out of them. Even lying on their backs, the floors didn’t stop the ghostly, connected halves from rising up to embrace the people who’d carried them for so long.

  Echoes of injuries appeared on the apparitions briefly, only to mend and heal beneath the benevolent energy of a certain Grower.

  Connected as he was to the process, Wule wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to give these people the best start he could to their new lives. They’d ‘lived’ with the pain for so long. It was time for a fresh start.

  Through the process of rebirth, eyes opening for the first time in centuries for many, Hiral watched as the PIMP and Urn did their work. For the former, it spread its connections, bringing the new race of undead into the fold. With PIMs, they would have a chance at growth like they’d never known as unlinked Possessed. As for the latter, guided by Ur’Thul of the Limitless Tome, it scoured the traumatic memories of an existence of torment from each mind as it awakened again.

  Nothing more than the impression of a bad dream would be left, while the Urn itself feasted on the memories. Shreds of power and meaning joined the civilization’s worth of souls that’d already passed through the Urn of Ur’Thul, adding to its own power.

  With Ur’Thul guiding it, though, Hiral didn’t worry about it being misused. Seena’s influence on the little lich was apparent as the Urn—once a symbol of death—came alive itself as a symbol of rebirth. Within it, red light—the same color as the flames of Seena’s mantle—rose to join the blue of undeath, then spread like wildfire through Nivian’s connection with the caretaker, and the rest of the city as well.

  “Oh,” was all Seena had a chance to say, before her mantle flared, and the Mother of Flame rose to join Landbreaker, standing back to back.

  Now, with two titans shining their light across the city—parts of it absorbed and multiplied by the runes on the ceiling—a true sense of peace and renewal settled across the buildings.

  Hiral had coined this whole thing as a resurrection in his mind. A return to the status quo, so to speak. Now, with the phoenix’s aid, it was truly a rebirth. A fresh start, with new lives to lead. Yes, the people of Trevallen would be who they were, at their core, but a new journey stood before them. One they were suddenly that much more prepared for through the phoenix’s touch.

  And, as quickly as it started, it finished. A flash of blue, purple, and red sent a wave of flames out in all directions, completing the process and sealing all the new energy within the thousands of reborn. When the flames reached the far walls of the cavern, then vanished, absorbed by the runes to leave a lingering light bathing the city.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “The process is complete,” Li’l Ur said. “With the addition of the Mother of Flames’ help, and our combined efforts, the people of Trevallen are not just undead. In fact, only the spiritual half of them is, while the human-looking half is very much alive.

  “We have created a new race. Eidolons.”

  “A new race,” Hiral echoed. It was true. He could feel it. These people still had the souls of the Pilgrims attached to them, but they were now just as much separate as they were combined. Their PIMs stretched through both bodies, and everywhere he looked, the spectral halves embraced the living half.

  A side-effect of Nivian’s concept of protection?

  “Be ready,” Hiral said into the raid chat instead of dwelling on the question. “The rebirth was a success, but half of each of these people is still undead. The Hunger is going to make an appearance, so let’s keep them all directed toward the elemental cores.”

  “Some of them are already chowing down over here,” Yanily said. “The stronger ones—I think there might be at least one B-Rank in this group—moved first. The woman seemed to know exactly what her spirit half needed, and practically ran to the orb. More are starting to join now.”

  “Same here,” Ilrolik said. “They’re separating themselves into rough Ranks, it looks like. C-Ranks going to for the C-Rank cores, while D-Ranks are going for the D-Rank cores.”

  “They will instinctually recognize the power they can safely consume,” the PIMP said. “The function has been programmed into their PIMs to help ensure their survival.”

  “What would happen if their eyes were bigger than their stomachs?” Yanily said.

  “They would probably explode,” the PIMP said.

  “Of course they would,” Yanily said flatly.

  “Nivian, how are you doing?” Seena asked the tank, who was helping pull the caretaker to his feet.

  “A little tired,” the Death Knight admitted, his solar energy basically bottomed out in the Party Interface. “A lot proud. Wule, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Meh, you would’ve pulled it off,” Wule said. “Not as well, probably. Maybe they’d just have spectral bottoms instead of tops.”

  “What is up with that, anyway?” Seena said. “I didn’t expect the Mother of Flames to get involved, but as soon as she felt a spark of rebirth, she reached out.”

  “I’m glad she did,” Nivian said. “My plan had been to bring them all back as undead. The two souls continuing to share the same body. What the Mother of Flame did was give their original bodies a new lease on life. Literally. Each of these Eidolons is both alive and undead.”

  “Undead are pretty durable,” Seena said. “Is this actually better for them? They still have to survive the journey to Genesis.”

  “You needn’t worry,” the caretaker said, back on his feet, a clarity in his eyes, and a smile on his face. “Our rebirths came with… the window floating in front of my eyes calls it a racial ability. Even without the description, I know what it does.”

  Before anybody could ask what that would be, the caretaker must’ve activated the ability, because his spectral Pilgrim shifted forward to overlay his body. Much like how Nivian’s Aspect looked, the caretaker stood within a four-armed armor of blue-and-purple flames. While he only had two arms himself, the second—lower—pair could clearly be controlled, while the wings on the back snapped open to their full twenty-foot width.

  “Should the need arise,” the caretaker said. “We can combine into one again, gaining the abilities and power of our other halves.”

  “Judging from the energy I’m feeling right now,” Hiral said. “And how much stronger it is than a few seconds ago, that trick could be a nasty surprise for anybody thinking to take advantage of you”

  “It could,” the caretaker said. “Though, if you’ll excuse me, this one needs to eat. Combined like this, I can feel The Hunger it’s trying to repress. For taking my pain, getting it a good meal is the least I can do.”

  “The core right there should help,” Hiral said, pointing at a nearby C-Rank core.

  “Thank you,” the caretaker said, moving in that direction.

  On the platform where the Fountain rested, he wasn’t the only one either. Over a hundred people had risen, each of them with spectral Pilgrims attached to the backs of their waists, and shuffled toward the different Ranks of cores.

  “It really worked,” Seena said, coming over to lace her fingers through Hiral’s.

  “I’d be more surprised if it didn’t,” Hiral said. “Considering who we had on our side for this. I don’t know if you were able to see it, but the way Li’l Ur guided the power of the Urn was practically a masterclass. The way he controlled it, so it didn’t overwhelm any of the new Eidolons, and at the same time seemed to pay individual attention to each of their memories was sublime.”

  “With a few more centuries of practice,” Li’l Ur said from Seena’s shoulder. “I am sure you, my would-be apprentice, will show similar skill.”

  “A few centuries, eh?” Seena said. “As long as all you do isn’t practice.” The look she gave him said he had better not ignore her.

  Instead of answering her, he just pulled her into a quick hug.

  “Things seem pretty calm over here,” Seeyela said over the raid chat. “Nobody is trying to eat anybody else—always a win—and the people-halves of these Eidolons have even started talking to each other. Anybody having any trouble?”

  “Nothing here needs shooting,” Igwanda said, almost sounding disappointed.

  “Peaceful here as well,” Sera said. “The few comments I’ve had directed my way have all been polite and respectful. I am surprised by the lack of questions as to what’s happening, however.”

  “Wule did that,” Nivian said. “Along with the invitation of what would happen, he added an explanation of why it was happening.”

  “He got that much information in one second of contact?” Hiral said.

  “PIMP helped,” Wule said. “It’s like how you know what notification windows are going to say even without reading them. We kind of did that.”

  “It was worth the small, extra expenditure of energy,” the PIMP said. “Reduced chaos.”

  “And how about what you wanted to get out of it,” Hiral directly asked the PIMP. “Is your connection to this world better now?”

  “Yes,” the PIMP said. “With these additional anchors—even after they leave Terminus—I have become a natural part of the planet. Once I renew my attack on the local PIMP, I will not be at as much of a disadvantage as I was before.”

  “Once you renew?” Seena said. “I figured you’d already be mid-battle by the time we asked.”

  “Previously,” the PIMP said. “My attacks were so inconsequential, they were easy to ignore. However, once I begin again, that won’t be the case. If the local PIMP doesn’t actively try to ward me off, I will defeat it within an instant. However, this new threat comes with a risk.

  “As it realizes I am a danger to it, it may deploy defensive measures to destroy me before I can fully invade its cyberspace.”

  “Defensive measures,” Hiral said. “You think it will alert the Raze or send the Endless?”

  “Correct,” the PIMP said. “It may even be able to triangulate my position based on the path of connections of my attack. This would lead its forces directly here.”

  “You’re waiting to restart your attack until we can get the Eidolons back to Genesis?” Hiral said, honestly a little surprised the PIMP would even consider their well-being.

  “Correct again,” the PIMP said. “Calculations suggested you all would be… upset… if my actions resulted in the Raze or Endless descending upon Trevallen and slaughtering everybody within.”

  “Your calculations would’ve been correct,” Seena said flatly.

  “If you win the fight against the local PIMP,” Hiral said. “What will that do for us? Before, we thought it would help the poison process, but that obviously doesn’t work.”

  “There is an eighty-percent chance the Endless’s ability to constantly reform is at least partially accomplished through a PIM-like system,” the PIMP said. “Overriding that functionality, or at least limiting it, will significantly increase your odds of success. This falls in line with my primary directive of protecting Genesis.”

  “Between that and you taking care of the Heart of the City,” Seena said. “I’m feeling like we might have a way to make the Raze hurt for more than a few seconds.”

  “We might,” Hiral said. “Now, we just have to hope Nulokin has some ideas on how we can free Genesis without making the dungeon it’s inside implode.”

  At the words, Hiral looked in the direction of the man he’d just mentioned. Sitting there with his spectral Pilgrim devouring energy from an elemental core, the Eidolon turned as if he felt Hiral staring at him.

  “Did you need something?” Nulokin asked Hiral.

  “You could say that,” Hiral said. “We’re told you are the expert when it comes to Genesis and the dungeon it’s trapped inside. Care to help us save it?”

  Wanna Support Rune Seeker? Check out the Ebook and Audio Here! Thanks for your support:

  Amazon:

  Audible:

  Rune Seeker, Vol. 1 by J.M. Clarke, C.J. Thompson, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble?

  Rune Seeker (book 1) Book By Jm Clarke,cj Thompson, (Hardcover) | Indigo

  If you wanna chat about the book? Come to discord!

  If you're already on that discord? Go to "Get Roles" and you can get Rune Seeker updates, if you want :)

  Note my patreon does not have Rune Seeker chapters.