He could feel the poison spreading through his bloodstream, corrupting his consciousness, pulling him deeper into unconsciousness.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stay awake. Getting into stance, he aimed his blade at the beast's neck, daring it to lunge again.
It grinned, knowing time was on its side. Pacing around him, it taunted him, feigning attacks.
Zeniph cursed his own carelessness. He knew there were more inside but didn't bother to kill them all. If only he had been watching the entrance, he wouldn't have been caught unprepared for the attack.
Each consecutive breath was harder to draw in. He had to do something, and quickly.
Aura was out of the question. The increased heart rate would instantly spread the poison everywhere. On the contrary, magic slowed the blood flow. He just needed a pause—a split second of distraction.
Remembering something his friend had described doing when cornered by an arch-demon, Zeniph changed his stance.
It might just work.
Just.
With effort that made him feel like he was moving mountains, he hurled his sword straight at the werewolf.
It sneered, simply stepping to the side.
But that single motion was enough.
The air turned heavy. Zeniph's knees buckled, and he dropped to one knee. The beast lunged—then fell to the ground as well.
Extending one hand, he aimed at the half-man, its face staring back at him with intense bloodlust.
Double casting was difficult, but manageable. He carefully formed the mana, drawing runes in the air in front of him. Each movement darkened his vision, each letter slowing his heart.
Finally, with a last gargantuan effort, he completed the cast, sending forward a bolt of thunder.
In an instant, all light disappeared, every noise turned silent. Nothing moved. Nothing existed. Then, the area erupted in unnatural blue flame.
The mortifying shriek of pain and hatred clawed through the air as the beast lunged at Zeniph, its body turning to ash just before connecting.
He collapsed backward, staring into the clear blue sky. Snapping his fingers, he extinguished the fire. No smoke came, no aftermath. It was as if it had never been there.
Behind him, Fin spoke.
"Holy crap. What on earth was that?"
"Soul flame. Does what it implies. Burns souls and magic."
"Magic can burn magic?"
Zeniph closed his eyes, debating whether to bother explaining. He couldn't feel his hands or legs. Oh well, he might as well.
"Runes aren't really magic, same as aura isn't mana. It's more like holy power, if it drained you."
"Are you… born with it or what? How can you use all of this?"
"Nah. Humans lost the ability to use runes millennia ago. Also, I'm not really human."
"Hah, nice. So what are you then? A vampire?"
"An angel. And before you complain I'm not strong, this isn't my real body. You'd be dead if it was."
Silence lasted an uncomfortable moment before Fin answered again.
"That makes a lot of sense, actually."
"Mhm. Now can you go back, and in the storehouse there is a herb with flowers shaped like roses. Bring that here."
"I… I don't remember the way back. But hey, you'll be fine anyway. More importantly, can you teach me runes? That shit was cool!"
There was no reply, as Zeniph had already fallen asleep, too exhausted to deal with Fin.
When he woke up, he was covered in a cloak made of wolves' fur, and a campfire was crackling softly nearby, casting dancing orange and yellow light across the trees and grass.
"So, you do know how to do something."
"I'm a hunter's son. I can do basic stuff like this."
"But you forget to bring boots on the hunt, do you?"
Zeniph chuckled as he said the last part, and Fin joined him. They sat laughing for a while before Zeniph's throat grew too dry to continue.
Sitting up, he saw that Fin had been stoking the fire near him. There was also what looked like a canteen at his waist.
"Got some water?"
"Are you going to teach me how to use runes?"
"You're kidding. You want an ancient art in exchange for water?"
"Yup."
Zeniph stared at Fin.
Fin stared back.
"Hey, surely it's not that hard for you! Just some runes!"
"Runes humans were never meant to have in the first place. A Fallen taught you that, and then we killed him and erased any records of them. Of course, some humans still passed on limited knowledge of runes, but they died out later in wars."
"God, I asked you to teach me to use them, not give me a history lesson."
"Just give me some water."
"Promise me you'll teach me. Take an oath."
"Fine. I promise."
"Just don't drink all the water," Fin said, handing him a full canteen.
The water was refreshing, bringing life back into his aching body. It was probably the most expensive water to ever exist.
He laughed again as he handed the empty canteen back to Fin. Teaching a mortal ancient techniques—life here was about to get a lot more fun.