Kieran was plunged into a brilliant world that felt like a dream.
All around him lay a shimmering world of words given permanence and presence through mystical principles. Some of those words were mundane markings without much meaning; others were derived runes through which tame power could flow.
Those made up the lion's share of the marking filling this brilliant dreamscape, but there was substantially more.
While far fewer, these other characters and symbols were superior and blazed with greater presence. They bore so much Significance that they eclipsed the meaningless markings and evoked something profound in Kieran.
It tickled his mind in a way that he deemed a guilty pleasure.
'Oh, that tickles…'
Kieran trembled as that impassive shade dissipated from his eyes. The mystical had mystified him. But he remained wary of the Flame's movements with a fraction of his attention.
Luckily, it seemed too wrapped up in its monologue about its ancient grandeur and matchless majesty.
It appeared Kieran's questions had become an inadvertent battering ram that obliterated the dam holding back the Flame's pride. Kieran had no need to be attentive or even present in the conversation, but he was absorbing and unraveling salient parts of the Flame's veiled personality and intentions by awarding it some of his attention.
It was a valuable transaction.
Due to his focus on mysticism for the time being, however, he set aside weaving the gained disparate knowledge into a coherent picture.
'Damn Flame… you just never shut up. But that's fine. Keep unpacking. Your luggage may be messy, but let's see what it looks like when I tidy it up.'
Kieran stopped that thought momentarily and stared at the Flame with a complex sheen in his eyes.
Parts of the Flame's speaking habits had rubbed off on him! It wasn't much, but it was true. He had directly compared the bits of knowledge of the Flame's nuances and idiosyncrasies to luggage.
Similar to how the Flame compared its relationship to something unknown… to marriage.
If he reflected on that change for too long, it'd only send him down another rabbit hole of distancing from the Flame despite his inability to actually do so.
Instead, he had found the perfect pastime, a diversion that his mind could obsess over instead of dealing with the Flame—mysticism. If Kieran took a step back and considered his progress with the craft since he had picked it up, his progress was stagnant.
More than that, the things he was trying to learn were beyond him. Hekaina may have introduced him to the concept of Body Engraving — Enchanting's higher form — but it was technically a feat for Masters to perform.
There was a lot of Significance wrapped up in Imprints, and because he was aware of that now, Kieran wanted to unravel whatever had been done to the Imprint of Might to only benefit his physical attributes.
It was clear Agatha had not taken the same precautions, thus exposing Kieran to Significance in its process. Of course, that was okay because he had gained the Imprint of Might long before the Trial of Inheritor's challenge date had been set.
'Okay… focus. Focus.'
Kieran cleared his mind of thoughts about the Flame, Significance, Agatha, and Hekaina and only focused on the aspect of mysticism before him.
Locating the premises linked to the Three Foundations of Mysticism was easy, but he didn't want that. A deeper look exposed the endless permeation of those foundational principles.
That was a ubiquitous correspondence that could be ignored.
Kieran needed the twisted version of the foundations that were manipulated until they became disparate and divergent but maintained unity through opaque harmony.
It was a harmony only the Runemasters could unveil.
Then, Kieran looked for markings that resonated with the Equality symbol fabricated in his palm to act as a homing device. It was a crude replica compared to what existed inside this brilliant world, but it contained well-grasped meaning... just in a shoddy vessel.
He had to be frugal with his sparse essence.
Sifting through that ocean of runic knowledge was tiring work, but it couldn't compare to the burden of shifting pieces of his soul into place. All this required, in comparison, was deep focus and some grit.
'Where are you? Come to me.'
Kieran strolled through the brilliant facsimile of the room that held the portal of manipulated fate. Here, the brilliance — which Kieran learned was the Significance — was no longer muted. It no longer clashed against the Oath's oceanic Significance and seemed meager in comparison.
Kieran scrutinized the Significance everywhere — the floors, columns, and the sacrosanct broken shrine.
He used the symbol of Equality to aid in his search for resonant characters. It was challenging to hold it in his palm and keep it from crumbling while also noting the reaction, but he managed… barely.
Luckily, this was not based on a memory he created. Kieran was cognizant of his flawed memory. The H-COS had messed with some parts of it that still required recovery.
Kieran's confidence to draw inspiration came from the rune's embedded brilliance that directly seared remembrance into his mind. It had nothing to do with his ability to recall. Significance was strange in that way, especially to a virgin mind. It was beyond impactful.
He was relying on the runes and putting his faith in them.
'Yes… faith is powerful. The Flame has taught me that. I need to have more faith in substantial things. Not trust… just faith.'
Faith was empowering. And with faith, incredible things could be accomplished. It made trust seem less rewarding by comparison. It certainly had far more dire consequences than just having faith.
Experiencing broken trust attacked something deeper in a person and shattered something they held dear and personal. Faith… could be shared amongst many, so the impact shouldn't be as significant.
Unless you're a zealot, then…
'Then anything is possible.'
Kieran shook away that thought and grinned with fervent emotion shining in his eyes.
The discovery of Equality's missing link revealed more than Kieran could have expected. His assumption of every character being unique but intricately connected was correct.
Kieran counted not one, two, or three symbols that reacted with Equality but four of them. He burned their structure into his mind, searing how the mystic lines wove together to form unique patterns, and finally, felt their majesty with his being.
Then, he opened his eyes and exhaled before the still-talking Flame.
"…And so you see. That is why I will once again become the Great Destroyer. The uncontested Demon of Ruin! The wake of my actions will again mar the world, and my followers will ensure that its glory remains matchless for ages to come!"
The Flame had finally ended its vehement tirade filled with twisted and incredibly heinous vindication. The verbose thing didn't tire, though. It had simply returned to prodding at Kieran's thoughts and attempting to draw him in.
"Ah, so will become the Firebearer? I will give you nonpareil power if you serve me well. Even Death will cower before you and lower its prideful head."
'Are you tireless? What are you? Some kind of undead?'
"Yes. The Gods have already killed me, which is why I hate them. I died, but I have lived because my marriage stands above Death. I am its superior, and it can only travel in my wake. It has no other path."
At some point, Kieran found himself frowning. Because of his question, he had rekindled the Flame's divine monologue ability. Only one answer could explain why the tinge talked so much.
'Ah, you're just lonely.'
Then came a continued silence as the Flame drifted in front of Kieran with an aggrieved yet still ghastly expression. Its usually eerie smile had flattened into something neutral.
The Flame was lonely.
