Everything Went Wrong! The Rune Curse That Swapped Everyone's Gender - Episode 6

Morning came. Etsion Jace woke up at her desk. Apparently she'd fallen asleep sitting in the chair at some point. Her neck hurt. A copy of rune characters was stuck to her face. Slowly, she checked her arms. ……They were gone. The pale blue patterns had vanished completely. They'd been so dark and widespread last night. The thin lines that had stretched up past her elbow—all of it, gone without a trace. "Huh……" The sound escaped her lips before she could stop it. She checked the back of her hands over and over. Left hand. Right hand. No patterns. Just skin. (Why all of a sudden—) A knock at the door. "……Are you awake?" It was Carvel. He came in wearing his coat properly, carrying his cane, with his usual iron expression. There were thin shadows under his eyes. He probably hadn't slept. "Carvel, the patterns are gone! Look, they're gone!" She thrust her hands out. Carvel stared at them. His eyebrows moved slightly. Unusual. "……I'm looking." "So, what does this mean? Is it solved?" "No." "No?" "Last night, I read the literature. There was a description of the third stage of the transcription technique." Carvel pulled a paper from his coat. Something was written in old characters. Handwritten notes lined the edges. He must have written it all through the night. The text was dense. "First stage: connection. Second stage: transcription begins. Third stage—after transcription completes, the technique enters dormancy. When that happens, the external traces disappear." Etsion froze. "Completes……what completes?" "I don't know yet. But something entered the stone. Or—something was carved into your body. The surface patterns just disappeared, but the technique isn't finished." A Skyrail ran past outside the window. Clack-clack, clack-clack. The usual sound. But today it sounded somehow distant. "So I changed somehow?" "……There's a way to check." She looked at the stone. It sat quietly on the desk. The stone that had glowed last night was now just a stone. No light. No warmth. Just there. "Hold the stone." "Again?" "This time is different. If the transcription is complete, there should be no reaction on contact. If there is a reaction, the technique is still ongoing." Etsion looked at the stone. (That light was scary. But……) Slowly, she reached out. Her fingertips touched it. Nothing happened. No light. No heat. No patterns. Just the solid weight of stone in her palm. "……Nothing happens." "I see." Carvel exhaled slightly. The tension left his shoulders. Just a little. The kind of change you'd miss if you weren't paying attention. But Etsion saw it. He'd been worried the whole time, she thought. "So……the transcription is done. But I still don't know what was carved into me?" "Right. To find out, we need to go back to Voidrow. This time we read all the steles. If we understand what was being preserved, we'll understand what's in your body." "Got it. Let's go with all four of us. I'll contact Caitlin and Jynx." Carvel was quiet for a moment. "……Aren't you afraid?" "Huh?" "Something was carved into your body. You don't know what it is. And you're not afraid?" Etsion thought for a moment. There was no point lying. If he asked if she was afraid, the answer wasn't no. Last night, when her hand wouldn't leave the stone, she'd really panicked. When that presence flowed into her mind, she'd honestly hated it. But—— "I'm scared. But staying scared like this is even worse." Carvel was silent. "You read the literature for me. Caitlin opened the way. Jynx guided us. I think I would've stopped halfway if I was alone. But—now I can see the next step clearly. Isn't that amazing?" "……You're optimistic." "Well, scientifically speaking, more information means less fear. Right now we just don't have enough information. Once we get back to Voidrow, we'll have answers. That's all." Carvel looked at her. He started to say something, then stopped. His mouth closed. Then, just barely, his face softened. Not quite a smile. But not his usual iron expression either. "……You're a strange one." "Really?" "Really." The morning light outside the window grew stronger. Skyrail Line 2 clacked past again. Piltover mornings were always noisy. Etsion placed the stone back on the desk. Same spot as last night. But today it didn't glow. (Something was carved into my body. What it is—I'll find out when we go.) If you asked if she was afraid, yes. But at the same time, part of her was a little excited. She wanted to know what this was. That was definitely the truth. "Um, when I contact Caitlin, how should I explain it? I feel like she's definitely going to get mad if I just say 'the patterns disappeared but it's not over.'" "……She's definitely going to get mad." "I knew it!" "I'll explain. If you talk, things get complicated." "That's harsh! But, um……thanks." "……Don't mention it." His ears were red. Not from the morning light. This room faced east so it was bright in the morning, but that wasn't the reason his ears were red. Etsion saw it and felt something warm bloom inside her. The pain in her neck was still there. From sleeping in the chair last night. But today, strangely, her mood felt light. The stone sat quietly there. No light. No heat. But something slept inside it. The same something carved into the walls of Voidrow—still unspoken.

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Episode 6

Name: Everything Went Wrong! The Rune Curse That Swapped Everyone's Gender
Author: Novelia

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