Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 30: Layered Meanings

CH30 Layered Meanings

***

Alex’s thoughts blanked for a moment.

The bandeau did little to hide her figure. It highlighted her full, perky breasts—generous, but not overwhelming for her slender frame. They were perfectly shaped, their curves forming a graceful arc that seemed crafted by divine hands.

Alex blinked and finally found his voice. "You didn’t have to strip everything off. I expected you to just pull down the right side of your clothes."

Zora, ever calm, responded without a hint of embarrassment. "You’ll see better this way. It’ll make your work easier."

She wasn’t wrong. Though the Rune was to be inked on her upper arm, the positioning and success of the tattoo depended on various factors—mapping the nearby mana pathways, analysing the spread of the Nirvana Markings,,. Considering all that, showing him her entire torso rather than only the affected area made logistical sense.

Alex understood that. Still, it didn’t stop certain... involuntary reactions.

"Think of me as a patient," Zora added, catching the flicker of restlessness in his eyes.

"Understood," Alex said, steeling himself as he reached for his Rune pen.

The Rune pen was a high-grade magical artefact, its tip an ultrafine hollow needle. Ink flowed through it at a rate precisely controlled by his Spiritual Force and Mana, allowing for absolute precision.

He gently took her arm and got to work.

His expression grew calm and resolute. Every stroke of the pen was deliberate, light, and exact—designed to minimise pain while maximising precision.

His breathing slowed and levelled, and his mind narrowed until nothing existed except the lines he was drawing. With the Enhanced Sight of his Truth-Seeker eyes activated, he tracked every microscopic shift in her skin and energy patterns. Within his Mindspace, the OmniRune Core simulated each stroke before it even touched her skin, showing him the ideal path to perfection.

The Rune pen danced across Zora’s arm, carving meticulous, fluid lines. Despite the natural curvature of the human body, his hand never faltered—each stroke was flawless, flowing into the next like part of a grand design.

As the minutes passed, a complex yet elegant Rune began to take shape—a symbol of function, grace, and purpose.

Beads of sweat formed on Alex’s brow, silent witnesses to the intense concentration required. Still, he remained steady and composed. His breathing, calm and measured, exuded a tranquil aura that seemed to pull the very air around him into stillness.

Zora, seated so close she could feel the rhythm of his breath, found herself drawn in.

Her blue eyes remained fixed not on the Rune, but on the face of the youth beside her—a face that had shed most of its youthful immaturity over the years. Whatever boyishness remained was cloaked beneath a full beard, lending him a quiet masculinity.

But it wasn’t just his looks.

It was the focus in his eyes. The conviction in every line he drew. The reverence he held for his craft.

That passion, more than anything, was what captivated her the most.

Although Merlin’s attempt to pair them together had failed three years ago, it had successfully planted a seed between them.

A seed Zora could no longer deny had grown into something substantial.

As Alex put the finishing touches on this session of Rune drawing, his hand inadvertently brushed against her breast. The light contact, combined with the sight of her erect nipples pressing against the bandeau, shattered his concentration.

His breath hitched. He immediately pulled back the Rune pen before the needle could pierce her skin.

’I lost focus... just from a brush and a glimpse of her nipple? Is it this body’s raging hormones—or has my self-control truly deteriorated this much?’ The old soul within the youth couldn’t help but lament.

He looked up—and froze.

Zora’s blue eyes sparkled with mischief, lips curled in an amused smile. She showed no hint of embarrassment. On the contrary, she seemed to be enjoying his flustered state.

"You know, you can look if you want," she said casually. "You can even touch them—I don’t mind."

Alex blinked. For a long second, he was genuinely unsure how to respond.

Zora laughed softly. "You’ll be seeing and touching them in the future anyway. Might as well get used to them now so you won’t be so easily distracted."

Her words, laced with boldness and layered meaning, left Alex momentarily speechless once again.

He wisely chose not to play along—lest he dig himself into a deeper hole.

After breaking through Zora’s Ice Queen façade, Alex had discovered a very different side of her. Beneath the cold and distant exterior was a mature woman with a teasing, playful streak. Her aloofness had always been a shield, a barrier forged by the knowledge of her likely short life. She’d come to terms with her mortality—and had chosen emotional distance as a way to spare others, and perhaps herself, from grief.

But now, with that mask lowered, her true personality shimmered between that of a mischievous fairy and a seductive succubus.

Alex shook his head to clear the thoughts and forced himself back into a state of focus. He returned to work on the Rune, though from time to time his eyes flicked—almost involuntarily—towards the tantalising curves barely held in check by the bandeau.

Surprisingly, rather than hindering him, this awareness had a strange effect. His focus didn’t break again. If anything, he worked faster—completing the Rune in a quarter less time than he had initially anticipated.

When the last line was drawn and the ink pulsed faintly with mana, Alex lifted his gaze—calm and composed.

His eyes moved from the now-complete Rune to Zora’s chest.

"Truly beautiful," he said.

Zora arched her back in a slow stretch, pushing her breasts forward with a subtle smile. "They’re also soft and bouncy. Are you sure you don’t want a feel?"

Alex chuckled, a wry grin forming. "I meant the Rune."

"Of course you did," she replied with a knowing smirk. "And I was referring to... whatever you were."

He exhaled in defeat, shoulders slumping. "I can’t win with you, can I?"

"No," she said with a teasing wink. "But you’re welcome to keep trying."

***