Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 89: Origin II

CH89 Origin II

***

Earl Drake clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps toward the Infernal Dragon’s remains. He stared at the grotesque head in silence and drew a long breath.

When he turned back, he was once again the picture of composure—the cold, resolute man Alex had always known.

"I’m sure you’re aware that the Infernal Realm has multiple levels," he said, seemingly ignoring the question entirely.

Alex nodded. "Troops from our plane have explored up to the eighteenth level."

Earl Drake continued, "Back then, Commodus and his generals only made it as far as the first level. But since it was the first invasion, it was enough to alert a being from the deepest level."

Alex’s eyes widened.

The deepest levels of the Infernal Realm remained a mystery, even after a thousand years of conquest. The current Pangean expedition had only reached the eighteenth level—and already, above-Legendary Infernal beings had begun to appear.

If such monsters existed on the lower levels, it was anyone’s guess how powerful the denizens of the deepest layers truly were.

"Commodus and his generals were no match for the creature," Earl Drake said. "They only managed to escape by trading the lives of the millions of soldiers they brought with them. Those men bought the path of retreat."

His gaze was steady. Unflinching.

"The ancestor of the Fury Family... was one of those nameless soldiers, abandoned in the depths of the Infernal Realm so Commodus and his chosen few could flee."

His tone was coldly matter-of-fact. So neutral it was almost disturbing.

Then, suddenly, he asked, "Do you know how Infernals are born—and how they grow?"

Alex blinked at the abrupt change in topic. But he nodded.

The Infernal Realm and the Nether Realm were part of the basic curriculum in his first year at the Enclave. Thanks to his Eidetic Memory, he knew the subject well—far more than most.

"The Infernal Realm is the cesspool of the known universe," he recited. "It’s where all the negative energy—generated from the intense emotions of intelligent beings across different planes—is drawn and dumped.

"Infernals are special entities born from the convergence and amalgamation of that negative energy. And they grow by feeding on more negative energy."

In this world, all energy held power—even the kind born of emotion. After all, the mind itself was a source of force.

Broadly speaking, energy generated by the minds and emotions of intelligent beings was classified into two types: Positive and Negative.

Positive energy had a bolstering effect. It enhanced willpower, mental clarity, and resistance. It was born of joy, camaraderie, loyalty, hope.

Negative energy, on the other hand, had the opposite effect—debilitating, corrosive, and infective. It came from grief, despair, betrayal, rage, and loss.

Most planes in the known universe regularly evacuated excess emotional energy—especially the dangerous, corrosive Negative type—to specialised realms designed to contain it.

Nearly all Negative energy was drawn into the Infernal Realm.

There, it pooled, churned, and merged to give birth to grotesque and often unique entities known as Infernals.

The Infernals lived in an endless, brutal cycle of war. They tore each other apart in constant, primal hunger—feeding, growing stronger, only to be devoured in turn. Evolution through carnage.

Sometimes, however, some of them escape.

When an Infernal crosses into another plane, it would unleash horrors upon its inhabitants—not simply out of malice, but to generate negative energy more efficiently. Fear, pain, and suffering were their favourite fuel sources.

Earl Drake’s voice cut through the cave’s silence.

"The millions of soldiers who fell captive to the True Infernal Lord... were put through every depraved torment imaginable—just to wring out more negative energy. Efficiently. Systematically."

His tone was calm. Too calm.

"They were reared like cattle."

Alex instinctively shivered.

"Eventually, millions became hundreds of thousands. Then tens of thousands."

His father’s words dropped like stones in a still lake.

"As the soldiers died and their suffering intensified, the energy they produced became denser... more potent. So much so, that it helped the True Infernal Lord transcend."

Alex’s eyes snapped open wider.

’Transcendence?’

He immediately thought of Auramir, the progenitor of his Sky Wolf bloodline. He too had achieved transcendence—becoming something greater than his original nature.

Was this Infernal... the same?

"He became something paradoxical—both an Infernal and not. No longer bound by the nature of his race. No longer governed by the fates of his kind. He became a recognised powerhouse of the known universe."

A beat of silence.

"But even that was not enough."

Alex’s chest tightened.

He knew where this was going. Instinctively, his mana stirred, as if sensing the approaching storm.

"The True Infernal Lord sought to replicate himself," Earl Drake said. "To seed his kind across the myriad planes. So he injected his transcendent energy into the surviving soldiers—trying to forge more like himself."

Alex’s breath caught.

"Out of tens of thousands, only seven survived the process. The others either died or became grotesque, mindless Infernals."

"But those seven... retained their human forms."

The Earl’s voice dipped into shadow.

"Their minds, however, were twisted beyond recognition. Feral. Unhinged. Yet, the True Infernal Lord was pleased. He’d succeeded."

"So he released the Seven across the planes—his seeds of madness and power—and then vanished from the Infernal Realm, never to be seen again."

Alex’s heart pounded louder.

But Earl Drake wasn’t done.

"Unbeknownst to him... not all the Seven had lost themselves. One of them—just one—managed to cling to fragments of his mind. With the power granted to him, he hunted the other six down... and destroyed them."

"Inadvertently, by slaying them, he absorbed their energy, becoming stronger than ever."

"But he paid a heavy price. In his final battle, he used all that accumulated power to burn away the remnants of Infernal corruption within him."

"He succeeded."

"But it left him broken—just a withered old man."

Alex listened in rapt silence, his mind drawing connections faster than his conscious thoughts could keep up.

"In his final years, he returned to the Pangea Plane. By then, all who had betrayed him were long dead."

"So he did what little he could. He sired an heir."

Earl Drake’s voice grew softer. Almost reverent.

"He intended to die quietly. But before he could... he discovered something."

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

"The power he thought he’d purged... had taken root in his bloodline."

"The Furor Bloodline...?" Alex muttered under his breath.

***

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