The coughing hadn't stopped.
Each sound tore out of Kai'el like something being pulled from his chest. Every time he coughed, Alain felt a little more impatient, trying to work his feet even harder to climb even a second faster.
Only the wind remained, carrying with it a silence that pressed. When the mountain's shadow broke, they finally saw it.
A valley stretched ahead, a bit uncanny in Alain's eyes as it was a flat clearing in the middle of the mountain. It was bit strange to see but nonetheless welcomed, as flat terrain is easier to climb than slopes.
From the clearing ahead, there were countless small pillars of white stone, curved and towering. Dozens of them encircled a central area.
Theo had been the first to move. His breath caught mid-step.
"…Graves," he murmured. "These are graves."
The word lingered in the air, weightless but heavy all the same. Even the wind seemed unwilling to carry it.
Alain knelt, brushing snow away from one of the rune-etched stones. The script was old—far older than Asgraen, sharper and deeper.
The markings curved in spirals that folded back on themselves, their meaning buried in the twists of language.
"Seems like the bulk were buried here," he said, voice low. "A memorial, maybe." His glove traced the grooves. "'May their hearts remain unbroken.' That's what this one says."
Alain suddenly realized, since when did he understand the Titan's language?
He looked inward immediately, thinking the pendant would be the cause, however it stayed dormant, looking just like a piece of black rock now.
A chill ran down Alain's spine despite the warmth.
He crouched, fingers brushing away a layer of frost. Beneath it lay soil the color of dried blood, hardened like slag. Threads of translucent crimson ran through it, veins of light trapped within the stone.
"This place…" he whispered, not sure to whom. "It feels awake."
Theo turned, brow furrowed. "Alive, you mean?"
Alain shook his head slowly. "No, I'm pretty sure..."
He shook the thought away and kept exploring. Each individual stone had some kind of inscription on it, like a message that had been left behind.
Speaking of, how were these Titans even buried? It seems like someone's been here before. The thought gave Alain hope, at least they're not stuck in some sunken civilization.
Thin red vines threaded through the fractures in the stone, replacing what time had stolen.
As Alain walked towards the center, he noticed something, a color in this gray scene.
A sword, plunged deep into the snow next to another grave stone, however this one seemed a bit more important than the others.
He brushed the snow aside until he could see the blade fully. The blade was black at first glance—so black it seemed to drink the light around it. Runes carved along its length shimmered dimly, not bright enough to glow, but enough to suggest that they once had.
The hilt was plain, wrapped in charred cloth that flaked beneath his touch. A broken ring of bronze circled the pommel, blackened but whole, as though nothing in the world could corrode it further.
Alain looked at his own sword, dulled from when he used it against the golems, and half melted from his magic. It was just a regular sword after all.
No, no, no Alain, what are you thinking!? You're trying to rob the dead!?
The thought rang through his head before he even realized it had formed, his hand still hovered on the sword's hilt.
However, he didn't need to make the choice, something else made it for him.
Snow at the edge of the graves trembled—then, with a sound like cracking glass, something rose from below. Red vines burst upwards, rising until it looked like it had reached the sky.
Crystals sprouted along their surfaces, forming translucent scales that clicked together as they coiled. They weren't plants at all; they were blood turned to glass, alive only through memory.
"Theo! We got a situation!" Alain yelled.
From his back, Kai'el stirred weakly, "Let…let…me help."
"What? How can you—"
"I can… draw the spell… for you. Just…need to…use it."
Alain hesitated, but nodded as this was the only way he could fight with his hands free.
"Don't push yourself."
Alain finally looked back, Theo was already engaged in combat. He darted around the plant's vines, slicing them one by one. However, the more he sliced, the more they had rejoined.
"Useless," Theo muttered, his rune flaring across his arm.
He decided to swap strategies, "Alain! Could you blow up that rock mound?"
Alain quickly snapped his head at it, the mound was hanging off loosely. He understood Theo's intention right away, the problem was he couldn't reach it due to the elevation.
He moved, ducking underneath a tendril that tried to grab him.
"Kai'el! You see that mound? When I jump up there, please draw Raido!"
He couldn't see Kai'el's reaction but felt a shift behind his back, like Kai'el nodded his head.
"Alright, let's see if this works." Alain murmured.
He forced his thoughts into his right hand, willing the Rune to wake. To his surprise it did, the mark glowing golden and alive.
ᚷ — Gebo (Exchange)
Alain knew the command, what he needed right now was speed and power to climb the vines and reach said stone mound.
"Kindle!"
The Rune flared, golden flowed up his arms, crawling into each and every single molecule, like it was supercharged with energy.
Alain felt alive, he felt all his senses sharpen. He could hear every step he took, every sword clang that came from Theo's battle.
Another tendril slammed down into him, twisting his body he managed to dodge the tendril and grab onto it when it retracted back up.
He knew this was a terrible plan, but as Lia always said: The best plan isn't always the one that's most complicated.
With a quick push, Alain managed to climb atop the tendril. Whether or not the plant recognized their strategy, each tendril was moving erratically. Alain spotted the mound amidst all the chaos, barely managing to hold on.
Shit, I can't make it. I have to jump.
Even with all the plant's struggling, Alain shakily stood up, spreading his arms to balance himself.
"Kai'el, you ready!?" he screamed.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Kai'el's glowing fingers, waiting for the signal.
Alain hyped himself up, the distance was far, but not impossible. He knew he could make it.
"HERE GOES NOTHING!"
He broke into a sprint, managing to bob and weave the smaller tendrils trying to strike at him from other directions.
When the 'ground' underneath him ended, he leapt.
...
Air tore past him, for a heartbeat, he hung between the sky and the chaos below. Then gravity seized him.
"Now!" he shouted.
A flare of green-white light burst behind him—Kai'el's sigil.
ᚱ — Raido (Push)
His left hand resonated, flames expanding to meet the sigil. The mound shattered in an instant, the blast throwing shards of rock and snow outward in a violent ring.
The shockwave struck Alain mid-air, flipping both him and Kai'el over before they crashed onto the slope and rolled to a stop. However, he had done enough.
Theo didn't waste it.
ᛝ — Ingwaz (Velocity)
He raised his hand, like trying to connect with each and every piece of falling debris. Each fragment he touched became a weapon; stones screamed through the air, slicing into the vines like a thousand blades. The glass tendrils split apart, showering the clearing in crimson dust.
For a brief moment, it worked. The vines writhed and fell, their movements sluggish, their glow fading.
Then they began to move again.
Cracks sealed. Shards re-fused. The same dull red light pulsed through the remains as though nothing had happened at all.
Theo cursed, staggering back. "They're regenerating!"
Alain's pulse pounded in his ears as he thought of a way to deal with this.
Then it hit him. Back in his blacksmith days, he had worked with glass countless times. Alain used to hate it when Heinrick complained about cracks and imperfections when he finished tempering.
It had taken him weeks to realize the cause—he'd been heating the glass too much and plunging it into water too soon, shocking it before it could adjust.
His head rang from exhaustion, but the memory burned clear.
These vines were the same, a glass-like substance. The same rule should apply, right?
He just had to push that principle to its limit.
"Theo! Take care of Kai'el!" Alain yelled as he slid down the slope, right onto the regenerating plant.
Before it could even recoil, Alain's left hand struck. Heat spread outwards, turning the 'plant' molten hot. It burned his hand but he had to keep going.
When the whole stump started glowing red hot, he realized his plan.
"ISA!"
ᛁ — Isa (Ice)
The Rune answered with a violent flash, ice blooming across the molten veins, locking it in place.
The tendrils stopped moving for a second. A heartbeat passed.
KRRRRRRAAAKK
A sound like breaking glass tore through the valley. The vine convulsed, fractures racing through its length before it burst apart. Shards scattered through the air, each one catching the light like falling rubies.
Theo shielded his eyes, quickly moving Kai'el away from the impact zone. "What in the—"
Alain flew backwards and landed on a mound of snow. Steam rose in slow ribbons around him. The heat bled from his palms, leaving only the sting of raw skin and frostbite.
"Heh, looks like it worked after all."