A stifling silence descended upon the assembly hall of the Xu clan. All eyes were fixed on Xu Yianzi. The body of the Flame Sect disciple lying amidst the rubble of the collapsed wall was clear evidence of a power no one could have anticipated.
The elder of the Flame Sect, both the boy's master and Xu Yianzi's old rival, his face pale then green with rage and humiliation, pointed a trembling hand at Xu Yianzi.
"That... what demonic art is that! How could a worthless person like you wield such power!"
Xu Yanming, the father, stepped forward to mediate, though his own mind was filled with confusion and questions about the son he barely recognized anymore. He invited all the guests to depart for now, promising to handle the matter internally.
The Flame Sect elder gritted his teeth. "I'll remember this! This isn't over! The Xu clan will pay for this!" he declared with venom, before taking his disciple and leaving, sowing the seeds of a conflict that was certain to grow in the future.
...
That night, in a quiet private hall, there were only three people. Xu Yianzi knelt before his father, with his mother sitting beside Xu Yanming, her eyes filled with both worry and hope.
"Tell me everything... Zi'er," Xu Yanming said, his voice level but laced with authority. "The power you used... the art you spoke of... what is it, exactly?"
Xu Yianzi took a deep breath, and for the first time in his life... he opened his heart and told his father everything.
"I... I met a 'Master,' father," Xu Yianzi began. "It was a voice with no origin, appearing in my thoughts on the day I was most hopeless... He taught me about an ancient art called 'Runes' and showed me a path different from that of ordinary cultivators... I consider him my master."
Xu Yianzi recounted the hardships of training alone and his understanding of a power so different from the world he knew. He admitted that his body was still too "weak" to handle the true power of the runes, and that the day's events had proven that if he were to face a stronger enemy, he would not have survived.
Xu Yanming listened in silence, his expression shifting from confusion to awe, before he slowly nodded.
"That may very well be your 'destiny,' my son," he said, his tone softening. "That voice could be a 'higher being' who was passing by, or perhaps a 'soul fragment' of a past master who still cares for this world... Since this is the path you have chosen... then walk it to the very end... but always remember that you must become stronger... strong enough to protect not only yourself, but also those you care for."
His father's words were the "permission" and the "push" Xu Yianzi had been waiting for his entire life. He bowed deeply to his father and mother, before asking to be excused to his own quarters.
Once alone, he sat in the middle of the room, replaying his father's words. "Become stronger..."
He stared at his own right arm...
"Since this body cannot practice martial arts... then... let it become a vessel for the runes!"
It was the most reckless and dangerous decision he had ever made. He picked up a small carving knife, along with a deep purple "Prana Stone" that his mother had given him as a final precious gift. He took a deep breath, gathering all his focus, his mind concentrating on the two runes he needed most right now: ᚢ (Uruz), the rune of raw physical strength, and ᛒ (Berkano), the rune of rebirth and restoration.
He began to lightly carve the tip of the knife into the skin of his right arm. Fresh, red blood slowly seeped out. He showed no pain, but instead used his own blood, mixed with the powder from the ground Prana Stone, and carefully drew the two runic symbols, overlapping and intertwining them on his arm.
Agony lanced through his entire arm as he gathered all his willpower and intent to "activate" the runes inscribed with his own flesh, blood, and the dense pranic energy.
"ARRRGGGHHH!!!"
He screamed out in torment. His right arm exploded with a blinding violet-gold light. The veins and sinews beneath his skin bulged as if a massive amount of energy was flowing through and "rewriting" the very structure of his body. His skin and muscles began to fuse with the energy of the Prana Stone, becoming a new form of matter. It was a feeling as if his very bones were shattering and re-forming at the same time.
But Xu Yianzi gritted his teeth and endured. He accepted the pain as a "test" and the "price" he had to pay for the power he desired.
An unknown amount of time passed...
Finally, the light on his arm began to fade. The pain subsided, leaving only a warm, throbbing sensation. Xu Yianzi was breathing heavily. He looked at his own right arm, which had now been completely transformed. The skin had fused with the pranic energy, becoming a structure of deep violet metal, with glowing golden runic circuits embedded within. It was no longer a normal human arm, but a biomechanical limb that looked both beautiful and formidable at the same time.
He slowly clenched his fist... and felt the "difference" with stark clarity. It wasn't just increased strength, but a feeling of "solidity" and "oneness," as if this arm had now become an "instrument," ready to channel and unleash the power of the runes directly.
A smile, weary but filled with hope, appeared on his face.
This was the "first step" on a path of blood and growth... inscribing the scars of the past to become the power of the future... and he was ready to face whatever came next.