Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 29: Siphon Rune

CH29 Siphon Rune

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Author’s Note:

Merlin and Uthvaazgol are the same person. To avoid confusion, I’ll use ’Merlin’ when referring to him in most scenes going forward. The name ’Uthvaazgol’ will only appear when he’s in his Ancient Dragon form.

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Alex stepped into the office with an easy familiarity and sank into the couch beside Zora.

”You are not working today, Zora?”

Years of effort had chipped away at the walls she had built between them.

Only two remained: her reservations due to his age and her refusal to admit he had truly wormed his way into her heart.

In a sense, those two were one and the same.

She had made it clear—no relationship until he was an adult.

It was one of the few reasons Alex was grateful the age of adulthood in this world was fifteen, not eighteen like back on Earth.

If he had to wait another three years despite being this close? He would have gone mad.

Just a few more months now.

Zora set down her teacup and poured a fresh one for him.

Alex took a sip, his eyes lighting up.

”Good tea! You brought out the good stuff.” He said with a thin smile.

”I knew you were coming for the Rune treatment,” she replied, answering both his remark and earlier question in one smooth line.

”Is the preparation done?” she asked.

Alex nodded and took another measured sip of the calming brew.

”The Rune is far simpler than the Attribute series. Two sessions should be enough to finish the tattoo. It might sting a little.”

They chatted idly for a few minutes while waiting—about nothing in particular. The kind of warm, mundane talk that needed no significance.

Then Merlin’s voice echoed directly in their minds.

”Go ahead with the procedure. I am occupied with something else at the moment. Alex, come to me when you are done.”

”Yes, Father.”

”Understood, Master.”

They both responded instinctively.

The tea set and table were cleared away with a flick of magic to a shell at the corner of the office.

Zora gave Alex a subtle nod. He returned it.

With a wave of his hand, a portal shimmered into existence. They stepped through and arrived in his dormitory.

As the Tower Master’s True Disciple, Alex now held authority just one step below Merlin and Zora.

That included limited command over the Tower’s internal portal arrays—a privilege rarely given.

Still, he rarely used it.

He preferred walking through the Tower like any other student, keeping up the appearance of being a regular Mage.

Merlin had expressly forbidden him from revealing his identity as the Dragonslayer’s True Disciple—at least not until he became an Elite Mage.

The old man couldn’t stomach the idea of presenting a weak heir to the world. It didn’t suit the grandiose legend of the Dragonslayer.

But more than that, Merlin understood something deeper.

Alex was not ready.

Revealing that title too early would bring responsibilities, expectations, and enemies he wasn’t yet prepared to face.

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The couple entered Alex’s specialised Rune-Tech lab. Various ingredients and materials were neatly arranged across the table, a testament to Alex’s discipline and professionalism.

He gestured for Zora to sit on a custom-made ergonomic chair-bed, one he had commissioned specifically for tattooing sessions—designed to mirror the tattoo chairs of his previous world.

As she settled in, Alex got to work mixing and preparing the ink for the process.

”This Rune is the Siphon Rune,” he explained. ”The idea is to siphon off a bulk of the ambient energy absorbed by your Nirvana Markings and deposit it into an energy storage space. Later, you’ll be able to draw on that stored energy to empower your spells whenever you want.”

”So it’s not ’just a little different’ from your previous Attribute Runes—it’s completely different,” Zora pointed out.

”You are not wrong,” Alex acknowledged with a nod. He glanced up from the table and reassured her, ”But don’t worry. Like I said, this Rune is actually simpler than the Attribute Runes. There is no strict demand for efficiency, so its complexity is much reduced.”

Zora nodded in understanding.

Whether standard Lesser Runes (individual Runes, Rune Circuits, Rune Arrays) or Alex’s Greater Runes, all rune structures shared three components: Activation/Control, Energy Source/Supply, and Function.

The new Siphon Rune and Alex’s older Attribute Runes shared the same activation components—they were all passive, continuously activated runes that had to be force-stopped by the bearer by severing them from their energy source.

However, the Mana Source and Function components differed.

The Attribute Runes drew activation energy directly from the bearer’s energy pool. This required delicate handling to avoid harming the bearer or interfering with other energy-demanding activities, such as casting spells.

The Siphon Rune, by contrast, had none of these concerns—it hijacked ambient mana being pulled toward Zora’s body by her Nirvana Markings.

Similarly, the Attribute Runes demanded maximised output efficiency to justify every unit of energy absorbed, adding layers of complexity.

The Siphon Rune didn’t require such efficiency. Its primary function was simply to hijack and absorb mana directed at the Nirvana Markings, depositing it into storage as a secondary effect.

Energy lost during the transfer process was of little consequence, as long as the Nirvana Markings remained deprived of the absorbed energy.

If anything, poor efficiency was preferable, since it meant Zora wouldn’t need to worry constantly about managing the energy siphoned into storage.

”Where do you intend to draw the Rune?” Zora asked.

”Your upper right arm. Can you take off your clothes while I finish preparing the ink?” Alex replied, his focus already shifting back to the materials before him.

The mixture had to be precise. Every drop, every grain had a purpose. There was little room for error in this delicate process.

Unbeknownst to him, Zora stripped down without hesitation, leaving her torso bare save for a single piece of clothing.

By the time Alex finished and looked up, he was met with the stunning sight of Zora seated before him in nothing but a strapless bandeau.

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