Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 173: Gift; Dying Will

CH173 Gift; Dying Will

***

However, that begged another problem.

’Possession requires the Wendigo to sacrifice much of its corporeal body. It’s a self-mutilating technique that often leads to the Wendigo’s death shortly after. It wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary...

’...Or unless it truly hated its target.’

A flicker of realisation passed through Alex’s eyes.

He glanced at the Wendigo—its gaze hadn’t once strayed toward Fen or Udara. Its glowing eyes, burning with primal rage and bottomless hatred, were locked solely on him.

’Come to think of it, the Badger was also fixated on me,’ he recalled. ’Am I the one it hates?’

’But why? I haven’t done anything to—’

Alex’s thoughts froze.

No. He had done something.

Something a Wendigo would likely never forgive.

”I see... so that’s why,” he muttered aloud. ”No good deed goes unpunished.”

A bitter smile crept across his lips.

Fen and Udara were no longer options. They were already reeling from the [Soul Howl] and clearly incompatible opponents for this foe. They weren’t built to face a creature like this.

It would be up to him. Fortunately, the Wendigo wanted him, not them.

At that moment, a shift in the golden energy caught his attention.

Through his Spirit Sight, he observed the golden energy signature—”Daddy golden energy, as he half-joked—coil and wind around the Wendigo’s spiritual antlers.

It was trying to show him something.

Just as the Wendigo’s ephemeral form fully separated itself from the Needleback Badger’s corpse, a buried memory rose to the surface—an old folktale about Wendigoes.

A plan bloomed instantly in his mind.

Calm Madness!

Before the Wendigo could lunge, Alex summoned his bloodline energy resolutely.

A faint, translucent figure shimmered behind him—his fused bloodline manifestation. His pupils shifted, becoming golden draconic slits.

Then, he spoke in a language that neither Fen nor Udara could comprehend...

Dragon Tongue.

[Stop,] Alex commanded.

The Wendigo froze. The very air rippled with mana.

Alex let out a quiet breath.

’It worked.’

[You act upon a misunderstanding,] he continued, his tone perfectly balanced—neither submissive nor threatening. [Send your spirit tendril into my mind. See the truth in my memories. You’ll understand what really happened.]

He relaxed his stance and lowered his defences, opening himself to the Wendigo.

The spectral creature tilted its head, puzzled.

The human stood defiant, yet behind him pulsed a subtle but unmistakable Draconic presence. It was weak, but real.

Dragons were famed for their inability—or unwillingness—to lie, especially in Dragon Tongue. It was a language shaped by mana and intention more than mere words.

Lying in it was near impossible.

Unless, of course, the speaker was so powerful that even the rules of a sacred tongue bent to their will. But if that were the case, why would such a being need to lie at all?

After a long pause, the Wendigo reached its decision.

It extended a tendril of spirit essence toward Alex’s mind.

If the tendrils reached the mage, the Wendigo would know for certain that the human wasn’t lying.

Not only because Alex would be completely vulnerable to any attack in that state, but also because he literally wouldn’t be able to hide the truth.

[Soul Touch]!

The Wendigo’s spiritual tendrils pierced into Alex’s mind—and a memory was instantly revealed.

It was the cave mine, back in the goblin village near the meadow.

The Wendigo saw and felt everything Alex had in that moment.

It saw the state of the female Wendigo—her broken, used body shackled inside the goblin den.

Yes, one of the humanoid beasts the goblins kept as breeding stock was related to the very Wendigo attacking Alex now.

It witnessed Alex trying to help her and the others. But they were too far gone. There was no salvation left to offer—only release.

He’d done what he thought was mercy, hoping it brought them peace.

’AHHH!!!’

The Wendigo let out a human-like shriek of grief.

It hadn’t attacked Alex out of rage or madness. It had sensed the death mark of its offspring on him. A unique imprint left upon those who kill a Wendigo—a brand etched into the soul.

Unless erased by someone deeply versed in spiritual manipulation, it lingered for a long time.

Now, the Wendigo understood. The rage burned quieter. No longer was it directed at the mage.

It withdrew its tendrils.

But the fury, the pain—it still remained, churning beneath the surface.

SHUAAA!!!

The Wendigo threw back its head and issued a mournful, unnatural cry.

SHUAA!!!

Moments later, the same call echoed from across the Dankrot Forest.

Alex stood frozen. The faint tether still lingering between them allowed him to grasp the meaning behind the cry.

It was the Wendigo’s dying Will.

By using its self-mutilation ability to possess the Needleback Badger, the Wendigo had severed its spiritual form from its physical body.

And now, that severance had become final.

Without a vessel, even a powerful soul would eventually dissipate.

This was a fundamental truth of the world—one no magic nor innate ability could rewrite.

Even for a Wendigo, especially one below the Legendary tier, the fact its innate ability had succeeded at all was proof of how terrifying and broken their racial abilities could be.

And with its final moments, the Wendigo did not grieve. No, it used it to passed down a kill-order:

”Find and kill every goblin walking this forest!”

The call had gone out to every Wendigo within the Dankrot forest.

The Wendigoes were more adept at tracking in the forest than anyone in Alex’s platoon could ever be. With them leading the charge, the forest will officially turn against the goblins, and it would be a matter of time before they were wiped out.

The Wendigo turned toward Alex and gave a slow, solemn bow.

Its spiritual tendrils brushed across him, erasing the Death Mark left upon his soul.

It replaced it with something else—something unknown.

Then, the Wendigo’s ephemeral form began to collapse inward, shrinking into the twin antlers that housed the core of its spiritual energy.

Piece by piece, it vanished.

What remained were only the spirit antlers, faintly pulsing with the unmistakable spiritual energy. In Alex’s Spirit Sights, the antlers were also surrounded by a unique golden energy signature.

**