Myriad Heavens: Rise of the Rune God

Chapter 255: Chapter 256: Last Day

Morning light filtered softly through the windows of the family compound.

Celestia sat in quiet meditation on the side porch, her breathing steady. She was reviewing the flow of her Unity Cycle, letting the familiar rhythm settle through her when a translucent blue screen suddenly materialized in the air directly in front of her.

She opened her eyes.

The screen remained in front of her.

’What is this?’ She thought.

Curious, she reached out. Her fingers passed straight through the glowing surface without any resistance. There was no texture, no energy fluctuation she could properly grasp — only light and information hanging in the air like it belonged there.

At her cultivation level, hallucinations of this clarity were nearly impossible.

Text began to form across the screen.

[WELCOME, HOST.]

[SYSTEM INITIALIZING...]

[BINDING COMPLETE.]

[PERSONALIZED GROWTH SUPPORT SYSTEM ONLINE.]

Celestia stared at the words in silence for a few seconds and came to a single conclusion.

...What did you do this time?

A few rooms away, Cassia had been organizing her notes when the same type of translucent screen appeared before her. She immediately tried to analyze it with her spiritual sense. The construct refused to be fully measured. Her hand passed through it exactly as Celestia’s had.

[WELCOME, HOST.][SYSTEM INITIALIZING...][ANALYTICAL SUPPORT MODULES ACTIVATED.]

Cassia’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”This is not a natural phenomenon.”

In the courtyard, Nyla was stretching when a screen blinked into existence right in front of her face. She jerked back on instinct, then waved her hand through it twice.

”What the hell...?”

[WELCOME, HOST.][SYSTEM INITIALIZING...][COMBAT ADAPTATION MODULE READY.]

Inside the main house, Jake and Lirien experienced the same event almost simultaneously. Both of them froze as the translucent panels appeared. Caspian and Seraphina encountered identical screens only moments later. Each of them tested the construct the same way — hands passing through light, spiritual senses failing to fully grasp it — and each of them reached the same quiet conclusion: at their level, this could not be dismissed as imagination.

It did not take long for everyone to gather in the central living room.

Nyla spoke first, still looking faintly offended. ”Please tell me you all just saw a glowing blue screen that said ’Welcome, Host.’”

Celestia gave a small nod. ”I did.”

Cassia added, ”Complete system interface. Binding confirmation. Personalized modules.”

Jake rubbed the back of his neck. ”Same here.”

Lirien, Caspian, and Seraphina all confirmed it with quiet nods.

A short silence settled over the group.

Cassia was the one who stated the obvious. ”There is only one person in this household capable of installing something like this into all of us overnight without anyone noticing.”

As if summoned by the words, Runar stepped into the room from the hallway.

Seven pairs of eyes turned toward him.

Nyla pointed. ”You.”

Runar stopped and looked at the gathered family. A mild, almost sheepish expression crossed his face.

”You found them faster than I expected,” he said.

Celestia’s voice was calm. ”You created systems for all of us.”

”Yes.”

”When?” Cassia asked.

”Last night. I binded them into your souls”

Lirien studied her son carefully. ”Why?”

Runar met her gaze, then looked at each of them in turn. His tone stayed even, but there was no attempt to hide the weight behind the words.

”Because I am leaving tonight. The clone will remain here with you. These systems will continue supporting your growth while I am gone. Each one is tailored to the way you already cultivate. They will offer guidance, resource assistance, and stability. Nothing more invasive than that.”

The room went quiet for a few seconds.

Nyla crossed her arms. ”You could have warned us before you started installing things in our souls while we slept.”

Runar’s mouth curved slightly. ”Would you have preferred a long technical explanation first?”

Nyla opened her mouth, closed it, then muttered, ”...No. But still.”

Celestia stepped closer. ”Show us how they work properly.”

For the next hour Runar walked them through the interfaces. He explained how to open the main panel at will, how to request guidance, how the resource functions operated, and how the systems would adapt as their cultivation advanced. He answered every question — Cassia’s precise ones about data structures and long-term scaling, Nyla’s practical combat questions about reaction speed and adaptation thresholds, his parents’ concerns about whether the systems would strain their foundations, and Celestia’s quieter inquiries about balance and whether the systems would ever try to push them in directions they didn’t choose. Caspian and Seraphina listened carefully as well, testing their own systems in small ways while he spoke.

By the time the explanations finished, the initial surprise had settled into something more accepting. The screens still felt strange, but they no longer felt like intrusions.

The rest of the day passed in a deliberately ordinary manner.

They ate together. Jake and Caspian argued mildly over the best way to season the morning stew while Lirien and Seraphina ignored both of them and quietly adjusted the pot whenever the two men weren’t looking. Nyla dragged Cassia into a short spar in the courtyard specifically to test the combat modules, shouting updates over her shoulder whenever something interesting happened. Celestia sat with Runar on the porch for a long time afterward. Neither of them said much. She leaned against his side, and he rested his arm around her shoulders, watching the light move across the trees.

As evening approached, the light across the compound softened into warm gold. Dinner was slower than usual. Conversation came in smaller pieces. When the plates were finally cleared, a different kind of quiet settled over the household — the kind that knew something was about to end.

Runar stood up first.

”It’s time.”

No one pretended to be surprised.

They followed him out into the courtyard. The night air was cool. Stars hung clear above the trees. The new clone stood a short distance away, already prepared, looking exactly like him in every way that mattered.

Jake placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and held it there for a moment longer than usual. Lirien pulled him into a brief, tight hug and didn’t say anything. Caspian offered a respectful nod. Seraphina gave him a small, warm smile. Cassia met his eyes and said quietly, ”Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

Then Nyla and Celestia came closer.

Nyla reached up, grabbed the front of his robe, and pulled him down into a short but firm kiss. When she leaned back, her eyes were bright and a little fierce. ”Come back in one piece. And don’t make the clone do all the interesting storytelling.”

Celestia followed more quietly. She rested her hands on his chest for a moment, feeling the steady rhythm there, then kissed him with steady, unhurried affection. When she pulled away, her forehead touched his briefly.

”We’ll be here,” she said.

Runar looked at each of them in turn and committed the image to memory — the courtyard, the stars, the faces of the people who had become his entire reason for coming back stronger.

”I can return the moment any of you need me,” he reminded them. ”The clone is still me. The link will not break.”

He stepped back.

Golden light briefly outlined his figure. Then the main body vanished from the courtyard, leaving only the identical clone standing in his place.

The night felt a little larger than it had a moment before.

No one spoke immediately. They simply stood together under the stars, adjusting to the quiet reality that the one who had just left was already on his way into the deeper void.

---

After the golden light faded, the courtyard remained quiet for several long seconds.

The clone stood in the exact same spot the main body had occupied a moment earlier. Same face. Same posture. Same calm presence. Only the faint residual ripple of departure still hung in the air.

The clone looked at them and spoke first, voice steady and familiar.

”You all know I’m still here, right? It’s still the same me. Same memories. Same link. Nothing’s missing.”

Nyla let out a short breath and rubbed the back of her neck.

”Yeah... we know. Logically, we know.” She glanced at him, then away. ”It just doesn’t feel the same. Not yet.”

Celestia gave a small, quiet nod. ”It will take time.”

Jake rested a hand on Lirien’s shoulder. Neither of them said anything, but the look they exchanged carried the same understanding.

The clone’s expression softened slightly.

”I’m not going anywhere. Whenever you need me, I’m here. Same as before.”

Nyla waved a hand, already turning toward the training field.

”Yeah, yeah. We get it.” She sighed. ”Whatever. I’m going back to training. Standing around staring at you isn’t going to make the real one come back faster.”

She started walking. After a few steps she glanced over her shoulder.

”Don’t just stand there looking thoughtful either. It’s weird when you do that.”

The clone’s mouth curved in a faint, familiar smile.

”Understood.”

Celestia remained a moment longer, then rested her hand briefly against the clone’s arm before following the others. Cassia was already opening her system interface, practical as always. The parents moved back toward the house in quiet acceptance.

The night settled around the compound again.

The clone remained in the courtyard a little longer after the others walked away.

He watched Nyla head toward the training field, Celestia following at a quieter pace, Cassia already focused on her system interface, and the parents returning to the house. The night felt the same. The stars were the same. His body, memories, and link to the main body were all intact.

They really just walked off, he thought, a faint pout forming in his chest.

I literally told them I’m still me. Same memories. Same everything. And they still treated me like a stand-in.

He crossed his arms and stared at the empty path for a moment.

It’s still me, you know. I’m right here.

A quiet sigh left him.

Whatever. They’ll get used to it.

With that, the clone finally turned and followed them back toward the house, the mild, stubborn feeling of being slightly ignored still lingering as he walked.