Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 91: Velkar – Between Man and Infernal

CH91 Velkar – Between Man and Infernal

***

Alex nodded slightly and closed his eyes.

He released his Spiritual Force, wrapping it around the incoming torrent of negative energy, steadying its flow.

He didn’t know any warrior cultivation methods—he was a mage, after all—but he allowed the energy to circulate as it wished within the limits he imposed.

He carefully prevented the energy from even nearing his mana pathways.

The negative energy, as if sentient, made a beeline for the core of his flesh. Then—without warning—his consciousness shifted.

He was back in his bloodline space.

The space was eerily quiet... tense.

Before him stood the two altars—his twin bloodlines—locked in a silent standoff.

The Auramir altar, aligned with the solar and positive energies, had already bristled at the appearance of this malignant presence. It flared with brilliant radiance, on the verge of acting.

Alex had to will it to stand down, restraining it from reacting too violently.

Still, the Auramir altar radiated solar energy, bathing the surrounding space in warm, stabilising light. This had an unexpected effect: it repelled the spread of negative energy, limiting its influence to the area around the Furor altar.

Which, in turn, helped the Furor altar focus.

It concentrated the negative energy in its domain, drinking it deeply like a dying man gulping down water.

A dark whirlpool formed above the Furor altar, spinning violently as it sucked in the black energy with unrelenting force.

Then... slowly...

Bit by bit...

The rock-like veil covering the Furor altar’s True Name began to crumble.

The heavy, stone-like crust—formed from years of suppression and secrecy—shattered into dust and fell away.

And beneath it...

The True Name began to reveal itself—veiled no longer.

Outside the bloodline space, Earl Drake stood still, his eyes narrowed in quiet disbelief.

The sheer volume of negative energy being absorbed by Alex was beyond anything he’d ever witnessed. He nearly stepped forward to interrupt the ritual—but then, something stopped him.

A pressure was building.

A deep, oppressive pressure.

’Bloodline suppression?’ he thought, stunned. ’His Furor Bloodline is that pure?’

It suddenly made sense.

Unbeknownst to the Earl, this son of his—who was already born with exceptional bloodline purity—had gone on to refine it further using Heavenroot Nectar, one of the rarest substances in the known universe.

A startling realisation struck Earl Drake like lightning:

’In that case... awakening a True Name isn’t just possible. It’s practically inevitable.’

His brow furrowed.

He didn’t know whether to feel proud or uneasy. The Furor Bloodline was not normal, and neither would be the True Name born from it.

Within the bloodline space, the whirlpool of negative energy finally began to slow.

It had consumed enough energy to fuel over a dozen Furor Bloodline awakening ceremonies.

The last wisps of infernal energy within Alex’s body were drawn into the vortex... and then the whirlpool vanished, leaving behind a tranquil, saturated silence.

A heartbeat later, something stirred at the altar.

At long last...

The veil that had obscured the True Name etched into the Furor altar crumbled away.

Velkar.

The name blazed into being—ominous, wild, and commanding.

Velkar.

Raging / Violent — Blade / Lightning.

Like Solmir, his Auramir True Name, Velkar wasn’t just a name—it was a conceptual identity.

But unlike Solmir, which had a clear and singular meaning, Velkar was abnormal, just like the Infernals it originated from.

It contained multiple interpretations.

The ”Vel” portion could mean either Raging or Violent.

The ”Kar” portion meant both Blade and Lightning.

He would have to choose what aspects to accept.

The Vel component came first.

Raging would amplify the emotional enhancements of the Furor Bloodline, heightening his emotional state but offering greater energy resonance.

Violent would add a silent infernal force to every attack, increasing their lethality, but it would also feed into a bloodthirst, making him more battle-hungry.

Alex didn’t hesitate.

He chose Raging.

Heightened emotions? That was manageable. His powerful Spiritual Force gave him more than enough mental resilience to endure it.

More importantly... Raging made him feel more human, while Violent would have pushed him dangerously close to the Infernal threshold.

Once the choice was made, the meaning of the name shifted:

Velkar – Raging Blade and Lightning.

A dual embodiment of power and fury.

Its concept was crystal clear: Domination and Subjugation.

And the effect? Surprisingly simple.

It increased his combat power.

But what truly surprised him was the next realisation.

He had already been benefiting from the concept.

Even before the name was fully awakened... even while veiled... Velkar’s essence had been subtly empowering him.

Heightened battle instincts.

Reflexive tactical awareness.

Back in his previous life, Alex wasn’t a fighter. He had only taken beginner MMA classes for fitness. He knew the fundamentals but wouldn’t last in a real fight.

Yet now?

He moved like someone born for battle.

Sure, he had sparred with Merlin during their Art of Killing lessons—but after returning from the Sanctuary Subspace, his combat instincts had grown exponentially.

He remembered the hitmen in Mormont City.

He hadn’t planned. He hadn’t thought.

He reacted.

His movements had been fluid, efficient, and deadly.

At the time, he chalked it up to adrenaline. But now he understood—it was the Infernal Instincts granted by Velkar’s emerging Concept.

Even sealed, the True Name had gifted him a battle sense beyond his experience.

No, he wasn’t a Martial Master—not yet—but now he believed...

If he truly trained for it... he could become one.

Alex thought the funfair was over.

He was just about to withdraw from the bloodline space—when something unexpected happened.

The True Names on both altars—Solmir and Velkar—suddenly detached, lifting into the air as they drifted above the pool of bloodline energy.

The words floated together... side by side.

Their presence merged, resonating.

Almost as if...

They were forming a single True Name.

Alex’s eyes widened as he read them aloud:

”Velkarasolmir... Raging Lightning Blade of the Sun Wolf King?”

The moment the words left his lips—

Crack!

Shatter!

A sound echoed across the space, like something massive splitting apart.

’Huh?’

Before Alex could grasp what had just broken...

Darkness closed in.

His vision faded.

He lost consciousness.

***