The Fatebound Monarch

Anna nodded at Yabin's words and looked at the calligraphy brush and bowl filled with refined beast blood.

"What is next?"

Yabin stepped towards the altar and began to explain.

"Take the brush and use the refined beast blood as ink to draw the containers."

Anna nodded and did as she was told.

She picked up the calligraphy brush and dipped it in the bowl filled with refined beast blood; the bristles of the brush were soon soaked in the faintly glowing blue liquid.

Anna took a step back and began to draw a runic symbol on the ground… Her hands moved slowly, indicating her inexperience in rune scribbling.

It took her a few seconds to complete the rune. She looked at the rune, which did not glow whatsoever. She frowned and looked at Yabin for an explanation.

The night seer, however, shook her head as she added.

"You took too long… the ink dries soon after leaving the brush, try again."

Anna nodded with hardened expressions and tried again.

The result, however, was the same.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

She tried again, same result.

However, each time she repeated, it became easier for her to scribe them.

She continued to try, and she failed each time until…

Anna's forehead was covered in sweat. She dipped the brush into the ink, her hands were steady… she took a deep breath.

'This is it… I must get it this time.'

She moved her hands with finesse, but there was still some instability in them and within the next moment she finished the container.

The runic symbol glowed with faint blue before turning dim. However, it wasn't lifeless… it was ready for the next step—infusion.

"Great, it only took you fourteen tries," Yabin praised as she clapped her hands.

Anieal turned towards her and gave a faint smile as she questioned.

"How many tries did it take you, master?"

"Hmm?" Yabin raised an eyebrow at her question and added playfully.

"What? You want to compare with me? Are you not too young to compare with my old bones?"

Anna looked at her with a thoughtful look before replying.

"True."

A vein popped out on Yabin as she mumbled with a pained look.

"You were supposed to deny that…"

She shook her head and continued the lecture.

"Now… trying to speak a True name."

Anna looked at the rune and closed her eyes as she tried to speak a True name. Much to her surprise, however, it was way harder than she thought it would be.

It was as if the words had their own will and did not want to be spoken by those whom they deemed unworthy.

Anna tried to force out the words, but the more she tried to force, the more resistance she felt.

Yabin's words cut through the wide, empty chamber.

"Do not force it, Anna… try to understand the nature of it, try to become it."

And she did just that, she stopped forcing the words to come out.

"Let it guide you."

The words echoed within Anna's mind as she let the words do whatever they willed to do.

Anna was trying to call the true name of water… but it was not working.

Soon, Anna felt different; she felt deep, she felt vast… she felt calm.

She felt like she was in a deep sea.

Anna let the water guide her, and the more she let it guide her, the deeper, vaster and calmer she became, and then it happened.

Anna's lips parted as she spoke something that did not make sense… the words held no meaning, but at the same time, they held the meaning at the fundamental level.

The dimmed rune suddenly brightened… it began to glow with a white radiance.

Yabin looked at Anna as she thought.

'She did it on the first try…'

Her eyes glinted with something hidden deeply as a smile spread across her lips.

Anna opened her eyes and looked at the rune, which was glowing white.

"Marvellous, you did it on the first try, Anna."

Anna shifted her eyes at Yabin, she gave her a faint smile and nodded.

She took a deep breath and looked at her palms.

'This imbalance…'

As she let the True name guide her… she felt like she had become like water. She was shapeless, but after speaking the name, she once again felt mortal.

She was no longer deep, vast or calm. She was shallow, tiny, and stormy.

Her goals and her desperation made her stormy.

It was a strange feeling… the feeling of being something else from the very fundamental layer of one's being may even lead them to forget their very being and become a part of that feeling forever.

Anna, however, for some unknown reason, didn't hate that feeling… even though she hated something similar… her trait worked similarly to that, yet she hated it.

They were similar but different at the same time, and Anna wanted to know what made them different. She had found a clue to one of her goals.

The goal is not to lose herself to her trait.

She clenched and looked at Yabin as she questioned.

"What is next?"

Yabin, who was deep in her thoughts, was pulled out of them by Anna's question.

"Ah, yes. You have to flow your star essence into it for the rune to materialise… but that will be impossible now because of the crack in your star core."

Anna's expression darkened as she gave her a nod and questioned.

"So that was it?"

Yabin raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile.

"What do you mean, My sweet disciple… There are other branches for us to explore…"

Her expression turned amused as she added playfully.

"Or are you tired of just this?"