The Mystery of Runes

Loop 1

Rune sighed. Once again, he was at the mercy of his mother's summoned fox, Vain. Her lessons with him always ended in with punishment of some sort.

"Why can't you even attempt to summon something other than that flightless owl of yours?" His mother would always lecture. "Pan is a lovely owl but she won't help you fly across water or give you an income by diving for pearls. "

"I can't" Rune whined, petting Pan's soft chestnut feathers. "No matter how hard I try. Pan is the only one I can summon."

"I swear," His mother gave him a hard but loving rap on the head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were telling the truth." She ruffled his hair with a laugh and left the room.

"But I am telling the truth…" Rune murmured at her retreating back.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," Rune picked up Pan and perched her on his knees. He gave her cheek a poke. "I was just talking to Pan."

"That reminds me," His mother leaned on the doorframe. "Your maths tutor told me you summoned an unusual creature during your class."

"I didn't summon anything!" Rune buried his face into Pan's chest. "Nothing…" He could still hear the jeers of his classmates when they saw it. "I didn't do anything!"

"Care to show me?" She stepped back in and closed the door. "Show me what you did."

"Promise you won't laugh?" Rune pleaded. "Promise you won't laugh like everyone else did when they saw it?"

"I promise," She replied placing her hand gently over her heart. "A true summoner wouldn't laugh at another's summon."

Rune concentrated hard. A small ball of bluish light formed in front of him, slowly growing larger until it began to take a definitive shape. His mother watched on, fear growing stronger in the pit of her stomach.

It can't be…

Silvery wings spread from the ball, stretching outwards until they spanned half the room. "I didn't get much further than this," Rune said forcing more of his strength into the ball.

"Stop, Rune…" His mother's voice scared him a little. "Stop."

The glazed look in his eyes were now too much. Vain appeared, pressing her paws into his chest so hard it knocked the wind out of him. Her paws felt like lead weights on his chest despite her small shape and near-solid consistancy.

Rune shook his head. "Why?" Was all he could manage to get out before dropping his head back onto the carpeted concrete floor. "Vain is too heavy."

"Don't summon that again," The note of fear in his Mother's voice shook him. She wasn't normally scared of him summoning anything. What was this any different? He looked into his Mother's eyes. He didn't like what he saw.

She's not afraid of me… He blinked and nodded in agreement. She's afraid for me. He tried to remember what it was he was trying to summon moments ago. What was that winged ball?

"Try not to even think about it," she warned giving him a hug. "But… No matter what happens… Try to remember you are my own little boy. Nothing and no one can change that."

What did she mean by that? Rune gently pet Pan's feathers absently. He felt her let go and ruffle his hair once more before leaving the room. Maybe I should ask Father...

Getting up, he waved his hand dismissing Pan and opened the door. Looking up and down the hall, he frowned. Curious. he thought. Usually it's pretty busy out here.

Padding down the hall, he peeked into the training room. His older siblings usually were practising their summons in here. Today, however, it was noticeably empty.

"Where is everyone?" he called running through the halls. "Mother? Father?" Where are you?"

"They're here but not," A frail old voice spoke behind him. "Everywhere but not," He placed a hand on Rune's shoulder comfortingly. "You want to see them again?"

"How can you say that!" Rune pushed the old man away from him. Rune saw the sadness in his eyes and paused. "How do you know that?"

"We're in a time loop," The old man appeared to be growing paler but Rune took no notice. "We have been in this loop, you and I, for centuries..." The old man paused and glanced at Rune and sighed. "You won't believe me... You never have."

Who let this nut in? Rune looked around for someone, anyone, to help him. Why is it so quiet? He glanced at the old man beside him. Am I really in a time loop?

"Hey!" Rune knelt pretty quickly at the old man's side. He was now a deathly white. "What's going on? What's wrong?"'

"Time for me to pass on and hopefully meet my family on the other side," He looked up to the sky. "It has been so long..." Looking at Rune, he spoke seriously. "One piece of advice. Find your strength and use it. That's what he told me." The old man fell to his side and breathed his last breath.

"HEY!" Rune stared at the old man's corpse. "I never even got your name..." He stood and looked around worriedly. He gently nudged the old man with his toe, to make sure he was dead, before summoning Pan.

She appeared, scraping her claws against the floor in an annoyed way. Why did you dismiss me if you were going to summon me again so soon? She paused in her scraping to look at the dead man. What did you do? Kill him? she chirped in amusement at her joke. In a lower tone, she added seriously. That would be a form of suicide if you did.

Rune ignored her statement and replied sharply. "He just keeled over and died. I need a grave dug for him. Mother would be furious at me if I was to leave a dead body out in the open like this."

A grave dug where? Pan asked, bouncing back at him with her own sharp reply.

"Let's go take a look then," Rune replied, conceding to her annoyance. As a last minute gesture, he ran back into his room and returned with a blanket. Placing it over the old man's body, he felt strangely relieved.

You know dead bodies begin to stink much faster when warm right?

Rune made a face at her and picked her up. She moved around in his arms until she found a comfortable place to perch. He was greatly relieved her claws had been blunted a bit from scratching the floor earlier.

How about there?

'There' happened to be a short distance from the house. It was a graveyard overgrown with plants and wild flowers. Rune caught himself wondering if this appeared because of the time loop and shook his head vigorously. But, he didn't remember there being a graveyard here before.

"Not that I believe that old man," Rune said out loud before he could stop himself.

Hmm...? Pan twisted her head in an almost 180 degree angle and looked up at Rune.

"Nothing," Rune replied and gently pet her feathers until she turned away from him again. "Nothing to worry about."

If you say so, Pan replied and jumped off his arm. This place looks best. She pecked the ground hard and scratched around with her claws. The ground is soft too. I can dig that grave you wanted right here.

"Please do," Rune replied distractedly. Everything looked different. The Archery Yards weren't where they usually were. Even the storage shed and green house his Mum was always so fond of were missing. "Um... Pan?"

What? she asked between scratches. When silence met her question, she looked up at him. What's wrong?

"You know where we are, don't you?" Rune asked cautiously. He watched Pan jump out of the hole she was in and walk over to him. "Just where are we?"

Do you really want to know? Pan asked seriously. He had never seen her own face look so serious before. I can tell you but you need to honestly want to know. Merely asking for the sake of it may seriously hurt you.

"Tell me," Rune watched her intently. "Pan, I need to know what is going on and, to do that, I need to know where I am."

This is Rhyas, or as some people call it, The World of Dreams. Us summoned creatures live in this world until someone is able to summon us. Humans who come here... usually never leave. She looked at Rune pitifully. Only one type of human leaves this world. They're called Mythics.

"So the old man was right," Rune replied fearfully. "I'm stuck in a time loop."

Pan stared at him curiously. Old man? The cogs in her head has started to turn. The whole picture was laid out before her like a beautiful oil painting. Did he say anything else to you?

Rune looked at her suspiciously. " 'Find your strength and use it.' " Pan cocked her head to the side in a curious way before jumping back into the hole. "What?"

Nothing... Pan's inner voice now sounded really amused. You'll work it out. It's a riddle he gave you to solve the time loop. It should have meaning to you alone.

Rune watched her dig deeper into the ground before it dawned on him to go an retrieve the old man's body. He wondered how on earth he was going to move him.

He stood, staring at the body. Perhaps dragging him on the blanket would be best. He's too heavy for me to carry.

Pan jumped up out of the half dug grave at the sound of scraping coming towards her.Couldn't you carry him? she asked sarcastically. I thought he'd be lighter now that he's dead.

"He's so not lighter!" Rune snapped back. He continued to pull hard on the blanket as he spoke. "He's probably twice my weight judging by how difficult it is to drag him."

I see… She didn't let go of her sarcastic tone. Rune gave her a withering look when she stated So I guess humans get lighter when they decompose. Something I should take note of if you die.

"Just keep digging," Rune replied exasperated at her teasing.

If you say so, Pan hopped back into the hole. She scratched around until the hole was deep enough to bury the body properly. You're gaining a bit of an attitude.

"If I'm going to be stuck here on my own," Rune grunted, pushing the body into the hole. "Then I'll have to learn to survive on my own. Mother always said that at the base of everything, your attitude is what changes things for the better."

Pan began to kick the dirt back into the hole in a rather furious way. She hated when Rune said he was 'alone'. After all, what did she class as in his eyes? Chopped liver?

Rune took no notice of Pan's foul mood and instead content himself with placing flowers on the body as a sign of respect. He felt that if he didn't do this that he wouldn't be able to solve the riddle.

Ever thought that maybe you should look outside the box you always shut yourself in? Pan asked intruding in on his thoughts. After all, if you are stuck here until you die. The thought of you being all alone... It will drive you insane.

Rune looked at her curiously. He had never really considered Pan as a human. He thought back on what he had said carefully before replying. "You're an owl and my closest friend. But, what I meant was that there are no other humans around. In that sense, I am alone."

Pan tipped her head to the side and continued until she was looking at him upside-down. That's where you're wrong. There are some Mythics who have become summons just by being here. She corrected her head so she looked at him the right way up. Her next words told him she would have been smiling if she were human. They advise trapped humans on what they can do.

Rune was more amazed that it was possible to summon humans. His amazement ebbed away when he wondered what kind of twisted personality would summon humans. His Mother always summoned cunning creatures where his Father often summoned fierce and fighting-type creatures.

He looked at Pan and wondered where she fit in his personality. He wasn't wise or athletic. He wasn't sarcastic or a natural comedian either. Pan pulled one leg up close to her body and waited for him to speak.

"Where do I find them?"

Pan hopped, switching feet as she did so, and gave him a little nod. At the peak of Mount Arias. It's the tallest mountain in our world. She lowered herself until she was sitting on the ground. She knew he was going to take a while to speak. You sure you want to go there? It's quite dangerous.

Rune thought on it for a moment. "Is it really that dangerous?" Pan could hear the hint of fear in his voice. "I don't know..."

Or you can stay here, Pan added, playing devil's advocate. You're Mother's greenhouse is still here and there's plenty of food as well.

Rune slowly began to nod in agreeance, "I think that might be best. I can't guarantee that they'll be able to help me." Pan sighed and tucked her head under her wing.

***

The years slowly passed and realisation dawned on Rune that he should have gone to see the Mystics all those years ago. Slowly, he tottered down the hall with his carved redwood cane and waited for the time loop to renew itself.

Nostalgia filled him at the sight of his younger self. The words the old man had first told him now having more meaning, he wanted to help his younger self.

"I have two pieces of advice for you," he whispered with his dying breath. "One: 'Find your strength and use it'. I was told this by the one before me. And two: 'See the Mystics'." Rune closed his eyes and faded away to the voice of his younger self in his ear.