Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

Zoe hated the Forest of Petricite Stones, but now her curiosity was suddenly piqued. She said she'd discovered something. Li Lin didn't even need to ask to know what she meant.

Several relatively intact World Runes were sealed here by the rune mage, Ryze.

Around a thousand years ago, a mysterious ancient society, devoted to protecting the world's most dangerous artifacts, fled from the Ruination that ravaged Blessed Isle. Crossing the vast Conqueror's Sea, they escaped to Noxii territory, a region that hadn't yet formed the nation of Noxus.

Not long after, a prominent figure from Blessed Isle, Tyrus of Helya, and her fellow scholars who primarily studied arcane magic, discovered an artifact potent enough to threaten the entire world—World Runes.

At that time, Ryze, a young apprentice from the village of Khom in eastern Noxii mountains, studied under Tyrus of Helya. 

After many secret discussions, the members of the society decided to make every effort to keep the existence of the World Runes hidden. However, they ultimately failed.

News of the World Runes quickly spread among the various nations of the Noxii Plains, sparking a frantic race to seize these artifacts for themselves.

In particular, the two largest powers of the time clashed over the World Runes, and tensions on their borders grew increasingly hostile. Tyrus of Helya, with the young Ryze in tow, traveled between the two nations, pleading with their kings about the dangers of the World Runes, urging peace, and attempting to reclaim the rune fragments for safekeeping.

But the conflict was beyond Tyrus of Helya's power to mediate.

Amid the ensuing chaos, a devastating shock tore the skies, shattering the land. Fleeing into the hills of Noxii, Tyrus of Helya and Ryze bore witness to the World Runes' destructive power firsthand…

The earth crumbled, the bedrock cracked open, and searing magma burst forth, forming fire pillars that rose thousands of meters high.

In that surreal moment, even space itself seemed on the verge of fracturing.

Everything east of the Noxii mountains was obliterated by the Runes' force—forests, houses, mountains, land…

A vast void opened up in the ground, and ocean waters surged in from the horizon. An entire continent fragment sank into the depths of the Conqueror's Sea, all from just a single Rune shard.

Yet, this was only the beginning of the Rune Wars.

Over the following decades, the conflict spread beyond the Rune Lands, reaching even parts of Shurima and Ionia, nearly driving human civilization to extinction.

Fortunately, the civilizations possessing the World Runes eventually fell to the Runes' corrosive power, and the war ended swiftly.

Ryze, having been forced to slay his own master Tyrus of Helya, who had also succumbed to the Runes' mind-altering influence, swore never to use the World Runes. 

He inherited Tyrus of Helya's legacy—a scroll that could track Rune fragments—and began his quest to seal the World Runes. He concealed them in an underground chamber within the forest of Petricite Stones, sealed within pillars crafted from the rare stone, though no one knows by whom.

Li Lin understood that part of history, not only through knowledge of most timelines but also from clear documentation in Piltover's libraries.

However, Ryze, the great arcane mage who silently collected and safeguarded the Runes to protect humanity, was absent from those accounts.

Zoe excitedly tried to open a portal.

Perhaps because they were so deep within the Forest of Petricite, or maybe because she could not fully access the powers granted to her by the Twilight Star Spirit, her magic seemed to be somewhat restricted.

The golden circle did appear, but it didn't open to the location she'd intended.

Li Lin hesitated.

Zoe had mentioned before that, as a person blessed by the world, he was a unique presence, one whose soul wouldn't be affected by the World Runes.

Back then, he'd had an impulse to go straight to Demacia and search for the World Runes.

However, after some reflection, he'd dismissed the idea, realizing his own immaturity.

It's terrifying for a person to wield divine power—it magnifies their inner desires and hidden malice, like a magnifying glass.

No one is perfect, and there is no such thing as a flawless person.

Even the kindest of hearts harbors shadows.

And few can suppress that darkness with kindness once it's brought to the surface.

Even if the World Runes wouldn't corrupt him, Li Lin doubted he could possess the power of a god and still remain true to himself.

Besides, the one guarding the World Runes was the venerable old mage Ryze, whom Li Lin deeply admired. He had no wish to become his enemy.

Without overthinking, Li Lin stepped forward, placing a hand on Zoe's shoulder. "Hold on, Zoe…"

"Don't rush; I'm almost done!"

She ignored Li Lin entirely, her focus solely on the portal.

In the blink of an eye, she tried opening a dozen golden rings leading to the underground once more.

"Damn it, I can't reach the Spirit Realm in this forest! I hate it here!"

"We can't…"

"Just a bit more! I'm about to give you a grand gift!"

Li Lin sighed, stepping around to stand in front of her. Firmly gripping her shoulders, he shouted, "Zoe!"

Interrupted, her partially formed portal fizzled out, scattering into golden particles that were quickly absorbed by the surrounding Petricite trees.

She stomped her foot in frustration, "What are you doing?! I was so close!"

"This attitude of never listening needs to change."

"You stopped me just to say that?"

"I…"

But before he could begin explaining, Zoe snapped her fingers, summoning another portal.

This time, an unsettling presence emanated from the other side, even making Li Lin's soul tremble.

Holding his breath, he gazed into the single-sided mirror-like portal.

It opened onto a vast underground ruin. Most of the collapsed area had turned into dark ravines, while a lone precarious bridge connected to a central hall built of Petricite stone.

Several massive stone pillars stood tall, radiating a faint magical white light that illuminated the dim space, untouched by sun or moon.

It seemed that the influence of Zoe's star magic caused flashes of yellow, blue, and green light to flicker briefly within the anti-magic pillars, capturing Li Lin's attention.

"Finally, it worked!"

Zoe leaped through the portal with nimble steps, landing gracefully before turning back to wave at Li Lin, who was still in a state of shock.

"Hurry up!"

Seeing he hadn't recovered from his awe, Zoe raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, then flew back, grabbed him, and led him directly to the only remaining central hall that hadn't turned to ruins.

Though the anti-magic stones could absorb and store magic, giving the false impression of magic resistance, there was actually a limit to the magic they could contain. Excessive or pure magical energy couldn't even be absorbed by them.

For instance, Ryze could freely cast arcane teleportation spells like "Realm Warp" here, and Zoe could conjure an advanced portal—albeit with some instability.

The power contained in a World Rune alone could level an entire continent… 

And that was just the potential of a single fragment.

These large anti-magic pillars, engraved with special enchantments, were merely able to mask the presence of the World Runes, putting them in a dormant state.

To completely seal the World Runes?

Unless a godly being from the heavens themselves intervened, mere mortals, half-gods, or even native deities like warrior gods could never achieve such a feat.

The fact that these three World Runes flickered with magical interference was proof that they hadn't been entirely sealed.

But...

Li Lin counted the World Runes present: only the Precision, Sorcery, and Resolve runes were here.

The Sorcery rune was missing several pieces, notably less complete than the other two, which retained most of their foundational fragments.

The Domination rune, which appeared vividly in CG art, wasn't here at all—only a few scattered fragments, with even its characteristic red hue barely visible.

So, Ryze's collection of World Runes only went this far?

As Li Lin pondered this, Zoe eagerly shook his arm, "So? Do you recognize what these are?"

"I think… we shouldn't be here."

"Why not?" Zoe asked, her lips forming a slight pout. "These are World Runes! They're even more complete than the one I found in Ionia, the one I wanted to give you as a gift. Aren't you interested?"

I'd rather not know what would happen if we provoked that old mage…

Li Lin sighed, "I am interested, but I feel… I'm not ready to use them."

"Are you worried about corruption?" Zoe looked at Li Lin with a gaze that practically shouted *silly*. "I've told you before—you're special. You won't get corrupted."

"That's not what I mean…"

"Oh, stop being such a worrywart—more like a little girl than me."

Zoe flew to the anti-magic pillar where fragments of the Domination rune floated.

Gazing at the glittering stones capable of creating "fireworks," a smile reappeared on her face. "I don't care much about these things, but I know they'll be useful to you!"

She glanced back at Li Lin. "Didn't you say you'd go after those disgusting, twisted creatures someday? With these stones, I won't have to worry about your safety!"

Her words brought a bitter smile to Li Lin's face.

Have I really fallen to the point where this "little girl" is worrying about my safety?

"I had been thinking of helping you track down some World Runes, but who'd have thought someone else had gathered this many already!"

Zoe chuckled. "Not sure who the 'pretty stone collector' is, but since we found them first, they're ours now!"

Li Lin felt a headache coming on with Zoe's little *bandit* routine.

He could already imagine Ryze coming back home, discovering his collection stolen, and collapsing from rage.

Just as Zoe stepped forward to touch the World Runes, Li Lin quickly thought up an excuse to convince her to leave them alone.

But before he could speak, an overloaded arcane sphere shot through the air, striking the floor near Zoe's feet with lightning speed, halting her advance.

At the same time, a low, raspy voice filled with simmering anger echoed across the underground chamber:

"Keep your hands off the runes!" 

(End of Chapter)

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