"How did you do it?" Rhovan asked Thirteen.
"You forgot to call me Sir," Thirteen replied.
"How did you do it, Sir?" Rhovan inquired, gritting his teeth. "Please tell me how you gained control of my Great Killing Array."
Now that the Blackfang Dominion and Venom Heart Cabal had become part of Thirteen’s Private Army, Rhovan went to find him to press him for answers.
"And what makes you think that I will tell you how I did it?" Thirteen asked back.
"I’ll do anything you want, so please, tell me," Rhovan pleaded. "I’ve been unable to sleep properly since you took control over the killing formation I spent years making."
Thirteen looked at the Great Wolfkin Shaman, who indeed looked very sleep-deprived.
Dark circles hung beneath Rhovan’s golden eyes, and his once-proud mane had lost its luster. The wolfkin’s robes were wrinkled as if he hadn’t changed for days, and the faint smell of burnt incense clung to him.
"You’ve been brooding over this for days, haven’t you?" Thirteen asked.
Rhovan clenched his fists. "Yes. I’ve been testing every rune, every ley line, every control node, and still, it bends to your command instead of mine. It’s... infuriating!"
Thirteen gave a faint smile. "Then take it as a lesson. If you can’t understand how I did it, it simply means you still have more to learn."
"That’s not an answer!" Rhovan growled, his tail flicking in agitation. "I’m a Grand Shaman! That formation was my life’s work! It shouldn’t even be possible for an outsider to seize control of it!"
"And yet I did," Thirteen replied.
"Yes, and it’s driving me crazy!" Rhovan covered his face with both of his palms because he felt like crying.
He didn’t lie when he said that this incident was driving him crazy, and it had cast a lingering ache in his heart.
"Fine, I’ll tell you how I did it," Thirteen commented.
Even before the Wolfkin Shaman came to find him, he already planned to take Rhovan under his wing.
That way, he wouldn’t need to waste his time using Rune Magic when the war in Artem started.
He could just have Rhovan and his Shamans handle the grueling task of creating formations that would allow their armies to advance deep behind enemy lines.
And for that to happen, he needed to stop the pitiful Wolfkin from going crazy.
"Listen closely because I will only tell you once," Thirteen declared.
Rhovan immediately fixed his posture and intensely stared at the human boy, making sure that he wouldn’t miss a single word the latter was going to say.
Thirteen didn’t hide anything from Rhovan and explained how he hijacked his Great Killing Array step by step.
The more the Wolfkin listened to him, the more his eyes widened in shock.
"But to take full control of the formation, you need to head to the City of Elandris, where the heart of the formation is inscribed," Rhovan stated.
"You’re right." Thirteen nodded. "And I sent my subordinates to do that. Otherwise, how did you think I managed to wrest control of the Great Killing Array from your hands?"
"Do your subordinates know how to use Rune Magic?" Rhovan asked with great curiosity.
"No," Thirteen answered. "They just need to draw the symbol I need them to draw and use a few Jinn Cores to power them up at the right time."
Rhovan’s body shuddered as if the final piece of the puzzle had finally fallen into place.
His mouth opened and closed like a fish, unable to voice out the things that he wanted to say.
Tiona, who was coiled around Thirteen’s neck, looked at the Wolfkin with amusement. After all, she was no outsider to the process and had been the one to personally transcribe the last rune in the heart of the Great Killing Array.
"Get some sleep," Thirteen said as he patted Rhovan’s shoulder. "Three days from now, I will teach you and your subordinates some ancient rune magic. We’ll be using what I teach you against the Artemians."
The young man then left the room without looking back at the Wolfkin, who was unable to say anything even until the very last moment.
Two hours later... Read complete versıon only at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"Are you going to return to Cygni?" Kamrusepa asked.
"Yes," Thirteen answered. "I need to make some adjustments so I can open a portal that will cross Antares to Artem. I’ll be back after two weeks."
Kamrusepa nodded. "If something comes up, I will leave a message in the Order. So, make sure to go there at least once a day."
"Understood." Thirteen smiled before shifting his gaze to Queen Xeres, who had come to see him leave. "Is there anything you wish to tell me, Xeres?"
"I’m curious about Tiona," Queen Xeres answered. "She feels like kin to me."
"You’re a golden snake, and she’s a black snake." Thirteen smiled. "You two are family in a way."
The corner of the Queen’s lips twitched because of Thirteen’s literal comparison between her and Tiona.
"I am very sensitive when it comes to venom potency," Queen Xeres stated. "Although I am reluctant to say this, between the two of us, she is more venomous than me."
"The blood of a Fiend flows inside of her body, so that might be the reason why," Thirteen answered. "She’s also a special existence that broke through the limitations shackling her since birth. Did you know? Tiona is a Domini Mortis who was supposed to be a Rank 1 Monster for life?"
"Rank 1?" Queen Xeres frowned. "But she’s no longer a Rank 1 Monster."
"Exactly." Thirteen grinned. "As I said, she broke her shackles and can now enter the Celestial Rank if given enough time. I’m the one who raised her."
The teenage boy looked very proud. After all, Tiona had been with him ever since he was first sent to the world of Solterra as per the designs of the System God.
Tiona flicked her tongue on Thirteen’s cheek, as if giving him a kiss.
She felt very happy because she was now more helpful to her Master, who didn’t hesitate to show his appreciation by lightly rubbing her head with his finger, making Queen Xeres look at them with a cramped smile on her face.