Power of Runes

"You are here..."

An old man muttered, sitting on the bench of a beautiful gazebo made entirely of polished white marble. It stood gracefully in the middle of an open garden, surrounded by lush grass, tall trees swaying gently in the breeze, and flowers in full bloom that painted the scene with vibrant colors.

Above, light grey clouds drifted slowly across the sky, filtering the sunlight so that only a soft, diffused glow fell over the place, making the already serene atmosphere even more beautiful and calming to the senses.

On the marble table between them, there was a teacup placed in front of the old man, faint steam curling from its surface. Across from it sat another cup, untouched for now, patiently waiting for the person it was meant for.

"I gotta say, old man, the place you chose to meet is quite beautiful..."

Ash muttered as he appeared without warning, stepping out of space itself and into the peaceful setting of the marble gazebo. On the surface, he appeared calm, but inside his chest there was a faint, restless itch he could not quite describe.

After seeing the creepy scene in the Dwarf Continent, that itch never went away.

Sighing, he sat across from the old man and, without wasting any time, asked directly, "So, why did you call me here...? Do you want to see the dead body of the one who died because of that demon?"

The old man, whose once-dark hair was streaked with white from the slow march of age, had a face marked by fine lines and wrinkles, yet his presence was far from frail.

His eyes, strange and unique, were constantly shifting and rotating like intricate wheels of destiny, but at this moment there was a sharper, almost piercing intensity within them as he replied,

"Yes. You are half right and half wrong. I called you here because I did indeed want to check something from the dead bodies, but that is not the only reason. There is something else as well... but first, show the bodies to me. I want to confirm something."

Ash, hearing his words, simply reached into his soul space and took out the space ring he had used to store the corpses of the criminals. Without hesitation, he slid it across the table.

The Whisperer picked it up and closed his fingers around it. Ash could not tell exactly what the old man did, but the moment the ring touched his hand, a soft golden hue began to radiate from it. The wheels in his eyes, already in constant motion, started spinning faster and faster as though they were being driven by some unseen force.

Several minutes passed in silence before the spinning finally slowed. The light from the ring faded, and the old man let out a quiet, almost weary sigh before placing it back on the table between them.

"So, what did you find out...?" Ash asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Indeed, my fear came true," the old man replied, his voice carrying the weight of certainty. "I know what kind of creature it is. Firstly, it is not exactly a demon. I encountered one a very, very long time ago. The creature was called... 'The Hollow Mother'."

His tone was grave, and his expression carried a heaviness that spoke of old scars and memories best left buried.

"It is not the strongest creature in terms of raw power," he continued, his gaze distant as though recalling a time long past, "but it is one of the deadliest that exists."

Ash could see the grimness in his face, as if the man was sharing an experience that still lingered in his bones.

"I was very young back then," the old man said quietly. "And I was also not bound by any sort of restrictions. At that time, this creature almost destroyed the entirety of human civilization. It reproduces very thin worms, each no larger than a single mana particle."

He paused, his fingers lightly brushing the rim of his teacup.

"Though these worms do not live for long, surviving for roughly a single day before dying, the reproduction rate of the Hollow Mother is unimaginably fast. Almost infinite. The dead ones are replaced within seconds by new ones. These worms are called Hollowborns."

Ash listened without blinking, his mind trying to picture something so small yet so dangerous.

"It needs almost nothing to spread," the old man went on. "Just mana in the air, and within moments it can scatter millions, even trillions, of these small worms—completely invisible and undetectable to the naked eye."

Hearing this explanation, Ash's mouth fell open slightly. "W-Wait, wait, wait... Are you telling me that the entire underground area of the dwarves was filled with these worms you're talking about...?"

The old man exhaled deeply and gave a slow nod.

"Yes."

Does that mean... the reason my instincts were warning me was because those tiny bugs were entering my body... and being destroyed by the life mana inside me?

Ash knew his body was anything but normal. Every time he was injured, the life mana within him would heal his wounds. His entire body was saturated with it, so the Hollowborns would have been destroyed before they could do anything, all without even triggering his Rune.

That explained why he never felt anything directly—only a quiet, insistent warning from his instincts that something in the air was wrong.

"These Hollowborns can hide themselves by copying the life force of their host, making it impossible to detect them. They do the same in the air by imitating the mana signature of the surrounding mana particles. Only those who can perceive the true flow of mana can actually see these worms spawned from the Hollow Mother."

Ash's eyes narrowed slightly as the old man's tone darkened.

"Once inside a host, these Hollowborns act as a conduit," the Whisperer continued. "Through them, the Hollow Mother can seize complete control of the mind and body of any infected person. There is no limit to how many it can control—just as there is no limit to how many worms it can create."

"And it is not necessary that it will control anyone immediately. It may choose to control, or it may choose not to. The Hollowborns can simply remain hidden, letting the host live their normal life, blending in perfectly with the world around them. And when the Hollow Mother needs something, it can take control at any moment, turning that person into its puppet without the slightest warning."

"This way, no third party ever suspects the person who is already under control."

I see, so that was why every one was behaving normally, The Hollow Mother wanted me to get under its control without knowing anything...

But, Can it control anyone...? As the question burned in his mind,

Ash raised a hand slightly, interrupting him despite knowing it was rude. His voice was steady, but the question was urgent. "Is it possible... that it could control even a Saint?"

The Whisperer fell silent for a long moment before finally letting out a slow, rueful sigh and nodding.

Ash's expression darkened.

"The Hollow Mother can indeed control Saints," the old man said gravely. "I have seen it happen with my own eyes long ago. The higher the rank, the harder it is for them to fall under its control, but if they are exposed to enough Hollowborns, even they run the risk of having their minds seized."

Ash frowned, still trying to piece it together. "But... didn't you just say that those who can see the true flow of mana can see these Hollowborns? Then why would higher-ranked people, who should be able to see such things, still get infected? I don't understand."

"It is true," the Whisperer admitted, his gaze steady. "The higher you climb in rank, the more you perceive the truth of the world and the flow of mana within it. But..."

"But seeing them is one thing, avoiding them is another," the Whisperer continued slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as if remembering a grim past. "The Hollow Mother is a cunning creature. It sees everything the Hollowborns see. It is not a single mind but a collective consciousness—something almost impossible to fully comprehend through normal means. It observes, it learns, and it adapts."

"Even if someone can see the worms, can they avoid them forever? The answer is no. Hollowborns do not truly die; for every one you destroy, countless more take its place within moments. They can also sense when they are being watched. The moment they realize someone can see them, they change their behavior and focus all efforts on that person."

"In such a situation, if millions, or even trillions, of Hollowborns decide to target a Saint, that Saint might survive for a while… but for how long? Eventually, they will be forced to flee or hunt down and destroy the Hollow Mother itself."

"A Saint could use their domain to force the Hollowborns out and protect themselves, but a domain consumes an enormous amount of energy. The longer it is maintained, the faster their reserves drain, and once their strength runs low, the chances of infection rise sharply."

He paused, then spoke more heavily. "You might say that once a Saint has detected the Hollowborns, they should simply retreat. But think from the perspective of a Saint—especially if they are a Dwarf. Dwarves are known to value their kin above all else. How can one simply turn away and run, leaving their people to become puppets of such a vile abomination?"

"They cannot. And because of that… they stay, and sooner or later, they are infected."

The old man leaned back with a tired sigh. "It is not truly their fault. The Hollow Mother should not even exist anymore. It should… No, I know it died. I saw it with my own eyes back then. And it has been a very, very long time since that day. I doubt any record of its existence still remains."

"Which is why I have a strong suspicion that, due to the complete lack of knowledge about what they were dealing with, and because of the Dwarves' deep loyalty to one another, even if they sensed the danger of the Hollowborns, no one ran. And now… every single one of them is under the control of the Hollow Mother."

Silence.

There was nothing but silence. Around them, the wind blew softly, making Ash's hair sway slightly, but his mind felt as though it had been struck by something heavy.

Everyone is... under control…

Although it would be a lie to say that Ash cared deeply about the Dwarves, but....even indifference has its limits. If someone told you that every single person on a continent—perhaps hundreds of millions—was under the control of one creature, it would be enough to make anyone's heart tighten with dread.

Taking a deep breath, Ash's eyes, now shining with determination, locked onto the old man. His voice was steady, but the weight in it was unmistakable.

"So… how did you kill it?"

***

One Today, Three Tomorrow.