The Runic Alchemist

"Bind me…" Damian pleaded, his voice trembling. His friends exchanged confused and worried glances, unsure of what to make of his words.

"There will be no need for that…" A calm but commanding voice came from the entrance. Bloodedge had arrived. His gaze swept over the group, silently instructing them. One by one, they hesitantly exited the room, some patting Damian on the back, others offering words of comfort-even though they barely understood what had really happened.

Before leaving, Evrin handed the crown to Bloodedge, who set it on his desk without a word. He closed the office door, sat in his chair, and fixed Damian with a piercing look.

"What voices?" Bloodedge asked bluntly.

"I am not sure.." Damian said, his words faltering. "It's my own voice but the thoughts are not mine.."

"Calm down, kid. You stopped yourself. You can control it." Bloodedge's tone was steady, almost reassuring.

"Yes… I did," Damian admitted, gaining a shred of composure.

"There are no spells that can override a person's will. That's always your own. I'll inform Worldscribe: you're suspended for the week. Someone will watch you at all times. I'll modify your squires' and friends' badges to send emergency alerts if anything seems amiss with you. I believe you to some extent, but others won't see the voices in your head as a valid excuse. My advice: don't talk about it. Focus on strengthening your will—your aura. It's your best defense against mental spells."

Damian nodded silently. After calmly thinking about it for a few minutes, he concluded that there was only one odd thing that could be the reason for all the weird stuff that was happening to him.

The diary.

There was no spell or enchantment effect on him-he was sure of that, it was hard to believe but maybe.. Just maybe the diary was not from this world.

He left Bloodedge's office, his friends immediately surrounding him. Without a word, he gestured for them to follow and led them to a nearby empty room. After locking the door, Damian pulled out the diary and cast an analyze spell on it.

This world was home to many types of dungeons. Damian had explored only one type, but he'd heard rumors of dungeons that resembled entirely different worlds, some eerily similar to both worlds or planets.. his new and old one.

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Item: The Forsaken's Woe

Tier: Grand Artifact

Origin: Lost Dungeon of Nyndesari

Item Type: Enchanted Tool (Cursed)

Description:

What is there to hope for when protectors become the greatest threats to those they vowed to protect?

There are no heroes, only people. Some of their acts may have been heroic, but none were perfect. Even the brightest souls cast shadows, a truth they refused to see—until the Mindweaver revealed it.

Forged with a fragment of his soul and his twisted esper abilities, the Mindweaver created The Truth Binder. But he failed to foresee the true nature of his own creation.

Attributes:

Durability: 72%

Cooldown: 25 Years (after each use)

Target: Primordial Metal Shaper

Enchantment Alignment: Tier II

Special Effects:

Living Curse: A fragment of the creator's soul fused with the memories of countless minds, imbued with a spark of life.

Mana Independence: The artifact does not require its user's mana to function and can remain active long after the user's demise.

Restrictions:n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

User Level Required: 150

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Everyone stared at the glowing text window in silence.

"A dungeon artifact?" Grace asked, her voice trembling with shock.

Dungeon artifacts were extraordinarily rare—It was not easy to get one's hand on a dungeon artifact. Only high level dungeons and strongest of bosses inside rewarded the unique piece of craftsmanship that was the artifact. And even still it was not fixed that one would always get it. Stay updated with empire

"It's cursed," Sam said warily. "What does that even mean?"

"Whatever it means, destroy it," Lucian declared firmly. "It's messing with your mind. Nothing good ever comes from cursed items."

Damian looked at her for a second and nodded.

Immediately he drew the black flames runic circle Evrin had shown in tests, though kept the size contained in just his one hand. Evrin and others clearly had questions in their eyes but seeing the gravity of the situation she chose not to ask.

Without hesitation, Damian torched the diary with pitch black fire. The artifact burst into flames, reduced to ashes in seconds. A palpable weight lifted from Damian's shoulders, and he slumped onto a stone bench. Sam and Einar placed comforting hands on his back.

"Did it work?" The youngest Sunblade asked hesitantly.

No one answered. No one could be sure.

"No visiting shitty ruins and touching stuff from now.." Damian sighed.

"There are no enchantments that can last without the base they are enchanted on.." Reize confirmed. The group nodded, though uncertainty lingered.

"What did Bloodedge say?" Lucian asked.

"Suspended for a week. Someone has to watch me at all times," Damian replied.

"That's good," Sam said unexpectedly, drawing confused looks from everyone. "You get a week off. The diary's gone—why dont we take the week to clear our minds?"

"Huh?" Grace blinked. "What are you saying?"

"No, He's right," Evrin agreed. "We should use this time to help Maximus relax and refocus on something else.."

"I have an idea," Einar suggested. "How about we explore the dungeon? Maximus wanted to go there anyway, and it'd be a good chance for his squires to gain some much needed levels."

The two squires flushed with embarrassment but didn't protest.

Damian considered the idea-the distraction could indeed help. The academy's accusatory stares were the last thing he wanted to endure. He needed to be sure he was free of any influence.—and an opportunity to hone his aura—sounded perfect.

"Okay… the dungeon. I'll go," Damian said, glancing around. "But can you really afford to miss classes for a whole week?"

"It's fine," Einar reassured him with a shrug. "They'll understand. And even if they don't, it doesn't matter as long as we do well on the term exams."

Most of the group were top-ranked students anyway. If they decided to take a week off, the academy couldn't really do much about it.

Damian just couldn't help but smile looking at everyone present. He was so glad to have people like them around him. Even though he never said it out loud.

"Thank you," he said softly. "Let's do it."