Chapter 6: The Final Rune for the Bloodline
In that very second when life and death hung by a thread, the grievously injured Akkee and Thara, weakened by the sonic attack, summoned their final reserves of spiritual strength. Akkee's blood-tinged golden flames erupted more violently than ever before, merging with the cyan ice flakes that abruptly formed around Thara. The two different yet supportive powers burst forth as a ring-shaped energy wave, blasting the demons and black-clad soldiers who were surging forward, sending them staggering back several steps, creating a small opening and a mere breath of time.
"Thara! There's no other choice!" Akkee shouted, his voice hoarse but filled with unwavering determination. "For Ar-Chin... we must do it!"
Thara nodded in acceptance, tears welling in her eyes. She clutched Ar-Chin's small form tighter in her arms. "I understand... my love." Though she knew what lay ahead, for the future of their only bloodline, no fear could overshadow a mother's love.
They moved quickly to the safest remaining corner of the room. Akkee slumped against the wall, using his blood-soaked body as a shield to protect Thara, who began the most crucial task.
Thara gently placed Ar-Chin's body on a clean swaddling cloth she managed to find nearby. The little baby was still sound asleep, oblivious to the cruel fate surrounding him. Her slender fingertips began to draw complex, ancient runes in mid-air. Silvery light glowed, following the movement of her fingers. Each stroke of the runes was filled with sacred energy and the aura of the "Sacred Realm" they had left behind. This was the "Soul Seal Rune," a high-level art used to transfer life essence, knowledge, and treasures from one generation to the next—a technique that demanded everything from the caster.
Akkee looked up at his wife and son, his eyes filled with love, pride, and indescribable pain. He turned back to face the enemies, who had begun to regroup and were about to charge again.
"Come on! You beasts from the dark lands! If you want to touch my family, you'll have to get through this body first!" Akkee roared, his final flames blazing once more. Though he knew it was the last brilliant flicker of a dying candle, he would burn as brightly as possible.
The lizard demon and the few remaining black-clad soldiers hesitated upon seeing Akkee's fierce determination, but the orders they had received were absolute. They fanned out and attacked again, this time more cautiously, using ranged attacks and coordinated assaults to slowly wear down Akkee's strength.
Each time Akkee parried or counter-attacked, he would glance towards Thara, who was engrossed in casting the runes. The silvery light grew brighter and brighter, a sign that the ritual was progressing well. But Thara's face grew paler by the moment, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead, indicating she was using her own life force as fuel for this incantation.
"Ar-Chin... my son..." Akkee murmured to himself as he deflected the demon's claws. "Grow up strong... be our hope... remember that Mom and Dad will always love you..."
A faint but powerful ancient incantation emanated from Thara. It was a language even Akkee was not very familiar with, perhaps the primordial tongue of the Supreme Gods in the Sacred Realm. The silvery runes hovering in the air began to slowly descend and imprint themselves onto Ar-Chin's small body. A warm light radiated from the infant, as if an invisible protective barrier was forming.
"The ritual is almost complete! Stop them!" the human team leader shouted frantically upon seeing the strange light. He knew that if this ritual was completed, their mission might fail.
The enemies launched a frenzied assault on Akkee, hoping to break through this final line of defense. The young man from the Sacred Realm took all the attacks with his body, already battered beyond endurance. New wounds appeared atop old ones until blood streamed down his body like a river, yet his feet remained firmly planted, unshaken. His eyes still blazed with an unyielding warrior spirit.
At that very moment, the final set of runes was perfectly imprinted onto Ar-Chin's forehead. The silvery light flashed with dazzling brilliance throughout the room before gradually fading into the infant's body, leaving only a faint rune tattoo, difficult to see unless one looked closely.
Thara gave the faintest, most exhausted smile. Her body swayed slightly, but her eyes, looking at her son, were filled with the deepest love. "It's done... my love..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, before all her strength finally ebbed away.