"Mama."
"What?" Eric returned to reality greeted by Alix's disturbed face. "What is it?" Eric tilted his head to the side.
"You just called me, Mama. No wolf." Eric's face turned bright red. "I-I di- I mean- psha ha ha haaaa..." Eric stared at the girl silently.
"Rrright...I have to go home so." Alix backed away from Eric cautiously.
"No wait! It isn't what you think!?" Eric called out desperately. Alix decided acknowledge the boy. "Then what did you mean?"
"...Mama." Alix's face was completely emotionless as she slowly started to turn away again. "Wait wait wait. I didn't mean it in any weird way. It's just that you reminded me of my mother for a second there."
"Still walking away."
"It was a knee-jerk response, Mama. Don't leave meee!" Eric screamed into the night while Alix simply ignored him.
'This is precisely why I can not stand people.'
"At least ya have me!" Mo grinned at the girl as they returned to their humble home slightly frustrated as she had noticed that the pink string had just begun to appear.
"I'll deal with it tomorrow."
...
"It was an accident."
"I don't care."
"It was instinct."
"I DON'T care."
"I meant it as a compliment."
"I DON"T CARE!" Alix had been hounded by Eric from the very moment she made it to school. No second of relief as the boy desperately tried to explain himself. Alix was quite sick of it by now.
"Look Mama, I just can't see you in any way other then my mama now." Alix looked Eric in the eyes. "And that sounds perfectly fine to you?" Eric thought for a second before responding.
"Not at all." Alix glared at the boy before rolling her eyes. "Whatever, I don't care what you call me anyway. I did a bit more research on the Runic Clan last night. Do you want to hear it or not?" Eric nodded fervently.
"Okay." Alix led Eric into Inengway's office and sat him down while she pulled out a book from her bag. "As I mentioned last night I do not actually have much knowledge on this subject but I did manage to find a few texts that my father had in storage."
"You looked for them for me." Eric asked as his eyes shined in anticipation. Alix barely glanced at the boy before flatly stating, "No. I found them for me. Like I said..." Alix turned with an old book in her hand. "...I love magic."
Alix placed the open book on the table in front of Eric. "Alright, so what do you know about the Runic Clan and Runic magic?" Eric sat in silence with a big smile plastered onto his face.
"So you know nothing."
"That is correct." Alix sighed. "I hate teaching you idiots." Alix took in a deep breath. and started to explain the history to him.
The Runic Clan was an ancient group that suddenly appeared during the Great Mortal Wars. "What are the Great Mortal Wars?"
"Not important right now." Eric drooped his head dejectedly as Alix continued.
The Runic Clan was not made up of any specific mortal race or family. They merely named themselves a clan due to similar interests.
"Blood?"
"War."
"Oh."
It was through this bond that they unanimously agreed to be come disciples of the God of Mania, Regeus. He is a minor god within the domain of the God of War. Through his teachings they began to create combat stratgies and techniques that no one else would ever think of. This was due to the danger involved in their plans.
They were mortals filled powered by pure insanity that would recklessly run onto battlefields and cause absolute carnage at random. "They sound horrible."
"Which is why I understood your little 'late night murder sessions.' It was actually a step down to be honest." Alix shrugged.
They were so crazy that they actually ended up creating their own symbol using random shapes. They took five shapes in total to make one symbol and literally burned it onto their bodies. "That sounds..."
"Incredibly stupid?"
"...super coo-I mean incredibly stupid. Ahem, yeah." Alix stared unimpressed at the Eric. Of the five marks you apparently have the one that they called, "The Starved" a rune that quite literally feeds on blood and enhances the senses using said blood. It was quite the interesting creation using concepts and belief to empower their abilities.
"Oh. Wait then why do I only have part of it?" Eric questioned.
"Because the clan spread their branches across the land during the war due to their unreasonably intense paranoia. They believed that others would covet their unique magic and try to steal it. Even though no one had ever displayed any emotions besides fear and scorn to the clan and their magic." Eric nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright. I think I get it now."
"Good because we have to find the rest of those Runes for you." Alix stated as she slammed the book close."
"Why are we trying to find the rest of the Runes?" Alix gave a pitying look to Eric. "The reason that you have been killing people during the night has been to satiate your hunger. Correct?" Eric nodded.
"It's because the symbol is incomplete. If you get the rest of the Rune the seal will be completed and you'll become a Runic Master and won't have to deal with that hunger anymore. You'll just have to deal with the insanity and battle lust."
Eric had a puzzling expression on his face. "Not sure how that would be better. Besides, I made a promise to myself to never go into another Rune Ruin again!" Eric crossed his arms in an act of defiance.
"May I ask why?"
"As a person that I alike to a mother, you may ask why. However, you may not get an answer as I would rather not talk about it!" Alix opened her mouth to respond but decided that it wasn't worth it. "Whatever. I'm gonna keep reading about this anyway." Eric quizzically eyed Alix. "Why?"
"The history of this magic is quite unique and may help in my own endeve-" Alix noticed that Eric began to mentally check out. "I mean, I think the magic is interesting." Eric nodded pretending to understand.
"Why are you three here?" Winston entered his office in pure confusion. "You do know that there's no class today right? Most kids would want to stay home on a day like this."
"Ah, Winston. Did you know that your nephew was a serial killer?" Eric nearly choked as Alix spoke nonchalantly. "W-wait, Unc. It's not what it-"
"Yeah I knew that. Now why are you three here?" Eric was befuddled. "You knew. How? When?"
"You've gone out three times a week late at night ever since you arrived from the mountains. It'd be more unlikely for me not to notice that something was up. Also..." Inengway set his papers down at his desk. "...It would be difficult not to notice the trails of blood leading into your room." Eric looked toward the ground. His face twisted and concerned.
"Your not ma-" Winston held up a finger.
"Hold on a second, Eric. You still haven't answered my question from earlier." Alix flipped the page in her book. "Which was?"
"Why are you three here?" The man asked through gritted teeth. He was getting quite sick of the girl's disinterested attitude. "Why do you keep saying you three? It's just Eric and I. Unless you include Mo, in which case I appreciate your inclusive mindset." Winston gestured toward the door.
"Not the fish! Cas is right at the door. He seems as though he was waiting for you to give him permission to enter."
Page flip.
"You may enter, Mind Slave." Cas slid into the room as the girl called him. He bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Mistress." Cas eyed Eric suspiciously. Eric felt the boy's gaze and waved.
"How's it going man?"
"The day was fine until you spoke...Eric." Cas added a weird pause just before saying Eric's name. "What was that?"
"It was nothing..."
...
"...Eric."
"Nah that's definitely weird, bro." Cas's deadpan expression signaled to Eric that he should not continue. "Cooool. So what are you doing here?"
"I see no reason to explain myself to a serial killer." Eric almost jumped out of his chair. "How did you- Oh wait, you were at the door." Eric slouched back into his chair deep in thought.
'I really thought that me being a serial killer would raise more, I don't know, scorn. Instead.." Eric's eyes traced the room. Alix was reading, his uncle was working, and Cas was glaring at him but no more than usual.
Everyone was surprisingly normal about all of this. 'Either these three are freaks or being a serial killer is the least shocking thing that they could hear.' Eric squinted his eyes. 'Could also be both?'
"By the way I heard that Alix was going to have a duel the Angelica Floie. What's that about?" Inengway asked absent mindedly.
Page flip.
"Just trying to crush a noble under the soles of my shoes. Nothing unusual really. So, they didn't make the runes they discovered them. Interesting." Alix scanned the pages of the book rapidly.
"Do you have some sort of strategy, Mistress? Anything that I could help with?" Cas asked.
"Bring a raincoat." Eric raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Alix smirked.
"That overactive furnace is gonna get doused!"
...
That was really corny...
...
Page flip.