Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH63 Primal Origin Flame

***

Alex, oblivious to the inner musings, pressed on. "Beyond the Heavenroot Nectar’s chamber, I found a high-grade Mana Stone and Elemental Crystal mine."

"What? A high-grade mine?" Zora’s voice shot up as she nearly leapt to her feet.

Such a discovery was no small matter.

For the Enclave, this was justification enough to mount a full expedition into the Subspace. If they could secure and monopolise that mine, the benefits would be immense—

"Hold your horses."

"Calm down, Zora."

Both Merlin and Alex spoke at once, sharing a knowing look.

They could read her thoughts with ease.

"There is no need to raid a Sanctuary protected by the World’s Consciousness just for a Mana Stone mine," Merlin said dryly. "The Enclave is not that desperate."

"And more importantly," Alex added, "you will want to hear everything before you start planning the Enclave’s future."

Zora exhaled, forcing herself to settle down.

"Alright. I am listening."

Alex nodded. "The mine was not the most valuable thing there."

Both Merlin and Zora leaned in.

"Before it became a crystal mine, it was a dragon’s lair," Alex said slowly. "I found the corpse of a Fire Dragon. It had been dead for a very long time... but its body was being preserved by the ambient fire-elemental mana in the area."

"I see... The dragon’s body and the surrounding fire-elemental mana must have created a natural mana-gathering formation," Merlin said, instantly connecting the dots. "That would explain the formation of the Mana Stone mine."

"Indeed," Alex nodded. "I am not certain, but I believe my arrival triggered something. The dragon’s body ignited—not in a destructive blaze, but in a kind of transmutation. Instead of turning to ash, it dissolved into fire-elemental mana and condensed into a strange flame."

As he spoke, Alex raised his hand. Mana surged gently from his core, and in response to his will, a flicker of flame emerged—hovering just above his palm.

"This... is what is left of the dragon, Master. The flame flew into my body and settled in my Mana Heart. Do you know what it is? Is it dangerous? Should I try to remove it?"

Merlin stared at the flame for a long moment before muttering, "That’s quite surprising."

Alex tilted his head, confused.

"The corpse you saw," Merlin continued slowly, "wasn’t a corpse."

"What?" Alex blinked. "I am pretty sure it was..."

"No, it wasn’t," Merlin said firmly. "No corpse—not even that of a Dragon blessed by the highest favour of Mana—can remain intact for that long. What you saw... was a mana projection. An artistic imprint, born of the dragon’s lingering will, shaped by its Providence."

He paused, then continued with a grave tone.

"It is highly likely that, at the time of the dragon’s death, a being or entity aligned with its Providence was nearby. Their resonance—intentionally or not—triggered the creation of that mana projection. The dragon’s will etched itself into the mana field, preserved not in flesh, but in memory."

He stroked his beard.

"Time is absolute, Alex. Nothing escapes its decay. ’Everything perishes in Time.’ Not even mana defies that law. That’s why even the corpse of an Ancient Dragon—one of my calibre—would only resist decay for a century at most. Certainly not millennia."

He gestured toward the flame above Alex’s palm.

"And that’s the only way to explain this—the flame in your hand. A Primal Origin Flame."

"Primal Origin Flame?" Zora gasped. "As in... the Origin Flame that high-grade Alchemists would sell their entire life’s worth for?"

Alex’s eyes widened faintly, but not from shock—more from confirmation.

He’d already suspected as much.

Special Flames like this were common in crafting-focused novels back on Earth—sought after by alchemists, blacksmiths, enchanters and craftsmen alike. A flame like this was more than just fire; it was a tool, a catalyst, and a treasure.

"You’re right," Merlin said to Zora. "It is one of those Origin Flames. But Primal Origin Flames stand at the apex of that category. And this one—if it truly emerged from the death-site of a Dragon blessed by Mana, in a location where mana formed a natural gathering formation—would rank among the highest grade even within Primal Flames."

He turned back to Alex with a complicated expression.

"You’ve been dabbling in crafting professions lately, haven’t you? Well... it looks like fortune smiled on you."

Alex scratched his cheek, still processing.

"...By the way," he said, "what exactly are Origin Flames?"

Zora answered, her tone turning instructional.

"They’re rare elemental flames born where mana has gathered due to an event of immense Providence or Fortune. They embody purity, mana, and fortune—which makes them invaluable for any practice that requires all three"

"Ah! Like in high-grade crafting!" Realisation dawned on Alex. Then he frowned. "Wait—you said Mana, not fire elemental mana, specifically?"

Zora nodded. "Origin Flames have been found across all elemental affinities, not just fire. That’s why scholars believe their burning or refining effects stem not from a fire concept, but rather from a purity concept."

"Case in point, Origin Flames will not ’burn’ anything that is truly or extremely pure. They do almost nothing to anything that shares the Purity concept."

"I see..." Alex nodded, deep in thought.

"If you truly possess one of the apex flames among the Origin Flames, I can understand why you’d value it more than a Mana Stone mine. A mine is just wealth—it can be replaced. But an Origin Flame... that can only ever be found, never sought," Zora said seriously.

"Oh, no, you’ve got it wrong." Alex smiled faintly. "The Origin Flame isn’t what I was talking about."

Zora blinked. "Then what—?"

"Let me just show you."

At Alex’s command, the OmniRune Core shifted into its Spatial Configuration, and a gate shimmered open to the pocket dimension.

Merlin’s eyes flickered with a rare trace of surprise. A Spatial Gate?

"Please, follow me," Alex said, stepping through.

Merlin glanced at Zora, who was still reeling from the revelation, then they both followed him through the glowing gateway.