Despite his inclination towards madness, the deafening silence within the sea of blood was comfortable.
Its strange warmth tickled Kieran's skin, creating an environment conducive to comprehension, separation, and utilization. A recount of many experiences played before Kieran's eyes, but he dismissed most while focusing on others.
Those presently vital to him were set on an endlessly accelerating repeat cycle.
Watching images flit by faster than one could understand was an incredibly maddening condition, but Kieran relished the feeling of having the simulacrums envelop him.
His thoughts were focused on one thing, and he had no idea how long he had remained like this.
Hekaina's participation in the final battle against Argexes replayed in his mind, completely ignoring Agrianos' presence for the moment. He dissected how she wielded mysticism, which was only possible because she had mastered all levels of its foundation.
In comparison, Kieran was at the foundation… of the foundation.
The vast disparity between their skill level was alarming, but it didn't dishearten him. Hekaina's consummate application of the mystic arts served as a goal for Kieran. He could learn a lot from Agatha, but he could accomplish much more if he aspired to reach Hekaina's station.
Of course, he didn't re-watch the mental footage of the final battle to marvel at her skill. He was trying to understand how she formed runes and used those to instantly wordmance. Sometimes, he felt attempting to do this was beyond him, but that last smile she gave him, the meaning behind it… it felt like she was leaving him a lesson.
"That's… interesting."
Attempting to replicate Hekaina's wordmancing speed was absolutely impossible, which is why Kieran didn't delude himself into thinking he could, but… he did have the means to understand what was happening.
After taking a deep breath, his Mystic Gate emitted a growing heat that immolated his mind.
His eyes burned with mystic radiance, illuminating the sea of blood and turning it into a ravishing vista. He risked temporarily blinding himself by increasing his eyesight to this level, but he needed to unveil and discern, even if for a few pitiful seconds.
The mystic essence inside his Mystic Gate was voraciously consumed and reached dangerous levels in less than three seconds, but the Compendium spewed out a large volume of essence.
The pain in his eyes doubled every second, and the tears that flowed out evaporated instantly. This precarious situation was not ideal, but he had to know how those runes were created because they didn't just use mystic essence.
Eventually, he saw something.
He didn't know if it was the information he needed, but he had reached his limit. He squeezed the connection with his mind, severing the flow of mystic essence to his eyes. Relief hit, swiftly shadowed by excruciating pain.
Kieran inhaled sharply.
"Damn it! Goddammit! Oh, it burns."
Breathing ruggedly, Kieran tried to take his mind off the pain while the Compendium released a somewhat assuaging wave of relief. It was like placing a cooling balm on a burning sore.
Filled with overwhelming gratitude, Kieran expressed it. After all, the Compendium had echoed help inside the Trial.
"Thank you, Book."
There was a ripple in Kieran's mind for a moment, then he stared into space blankly as the Compendium spoke to him.
[Thanks is not required, Successor.]
"Wait… after ignoring me, you call me Successor? What does this mean? Do you recognize me?"
[I recognized you when the Great Seeker of Truth bestowed me upon you. Your neglect of Truthseeking is the reason I ceased heeding your call. Now that you have advanced in its practices, I have chosen to answer.]
Kieran arched his brow.
"Then why didn't you help me when I was trying to engrave that Imprint?"
[One, you were not ready for it. You rush when you ought to take things slow. Two, that was not a progressive step. It did not improve your wordmancing or Truthseeking whatsoever. Third, I had no place in helping you almost kill yourself.]
"Agatha helped me, though."
[And she regretted it the entire time, not knowing whether you would live or die. What are you attempting now?]
"I'm not entirely sure, but I want to learn how to connect runes and make formations, not just constructs in my mind."
[Hm, do you believe you're ready for that?]
Kieran thought about the answer for a moment. He couldn't confidently say he was, but enduring the Trial had taught him so much about Eni's tenets, leading him to lean more towards yes than no.
"I think so."
[In total, how many Supreme Letters have you comprehended?]
"About… ten, I think?"
[List them off.]
Kieran started, recollecting what he knew.
"Anatomy, Born, Comprehend, Distinct, Equality, Further… Individual, Judgment, Salvation and Unity."
The Compendium sounded like it was considering Kieran's current aptitude, incoherently mumbling a few things.
[Do you know how to weave Syllables together as one.]
"Not all of them, but I am familiar with most of the ones I named."
[Open me.]
Kieran blinked, taken aback by the Compendium's sudden command. Not that it was disrespectful. He simply didn't expect the Compendium to suggest him trying to open it.
He had tried that the moment he got it, and it simply wouldn't budge.
[I am the culmination of knowledge, the link to the Truth hidden away. I can provide anything you seek… as long as the truth is known and you are worthy. So, try to open me.]
Kieran summoned the Archaic Verity Compendium into the world, looking at its baroque cover rimmed with blue-gold metal. Runes incomprehensible to Kieran embellished the book, giving it a grand aura that matched its name.
With a deep breath, Kieran pulled at its corners.
It felt impossibly weighty, but the force binding it shut eventually gave, and a pillar of brilliance pierced through the sea of blood. It counted past the sea's surface, reaching some point high above that Kieran couldn't quite tell.
It dissipated quickly, introducing Kieran to blank, gossamer pages of the finest paper he had ever seen. He marveled, running his finger across the glossy surface.
[Successor… please don't finger me like that. I feel violated. Now, ask me a question.]
Kieran thought about his question and then asked it.
"If I wanted to create runes that borrow from the principles of the Supreme Letters, how do I do that?"
The Compendium's page released an arcane glow and a title manifested above it: Records of Universal Runeweaving (Basic).
Then, letters appeared across the page faster than the world's best typist. The font was wreathed in mystique, capturing Kieran's attention as he watched with rapt fascination.
Once the page was filled, it separated from the Compendium, pressing against Kieran's forehead. Knowledge flowed into Kieran's mind, and when it was done imparting the information, the page returned to the book as if it had never been ripped out.
Such were the abilities of a mighty True Relic.
What he gleaned from Hekaina's actions and the knowledge from the Compendium blended together, giving Kieran a glut of insight so vast his head felt like it would burst at the seams.
He took short, ragged breaths to cope with the pain, which opposed his environment. But the blood surrounding him felt subtly different, dormant as if biding its time.
That's when it hit Kieran.
Pausing his Advancing meant his true baptism had been momentarily halted, too. All of this blood… it would be his. If it was going to be his…
"Can't I use it to practice these concepts?"
