Everything Went Wrong! The Rune Curse That Swapped Everyone's Gender - Episode 7

Etsion Jace remembered the night she returned from the Void Row clearly. Pale blue light. Hands that wouldn't let go. The presence of someone flowing into her mind. And that morning——the marks had vanished. It was afternoon now. Light streamed through the laboratory window, illuminating the rune stone on the desk. Just a stone. No light. No heat. But something was definitely sleeping inside it. And that "something" now existed within Jace's body too. "So, to sum it up" Jace spread open her notebook. Handwritten text filled every line. Copies of the rune characters she'd recorded in the Void Row, transcriptions of notes Victor had written in a single night, her own analysis. "Stage one was the side effect of the swap, stage two is when the transfer began, and stage three is when the transfer completed... I think" She muttered to herself again. Victor hadn't arrived yet. They were supposed to meet with all four of them this afternoon. Caitlin and Jynx would be coming too. To plan their next trip to the Void Row. The door was knocked on. "Too early" It was Victor. His usual coat, his usual staff. His usual expressionless face. But today——he was holding a paper bag in his hand. "Huh, what's that" "...Bought it from the Steam Pot Kitchen. Did you eat lunch" "Um, I haven't... Really? Victor bought it?" "Shut up. Just take it" His ears were slightly red. Jace barely managed to hold back a laugh as she accepted the package. A set meal from the food hall on Prism Street——the one with steamed potatoes and dried meat. It was still warm. The two of them sat side by side at the edge of the desk and ate. There was silence for a while. But it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Just the usual sounds of the laboratory——the rhythmic clatter of the Skyrail, the low hum of measuring instruments——flowing through the space. "Victor" "What" "Thank you. For coming with me to the Void Row. For researching the documents. For staying all through last night..." "...Don't" "Huh" "I hate being thanked" Jace thought for a moment. "Then what should I do" "...You don't have to do anything" His ears were red again. This time, Jace laughed. Softly, but genuinely. The door burst open just as the two of them were finishing their steamed potatoes. "I'm not late!! I'm right on time!!" Blue hair swayed. Jynx flew into the room. Caitlin followed quietly behind him. She was wearing her Enforcer uniform. "...Were you in the middle of eating" "Just finishing up. Um, sit down, sit down" All four of them were now gathered in the laboratory. Jace placed the stone in the center of the desk. All four pairs of eyes focused on it. "Um, first, a report. The marks have been gone since yesterday. The stone doesn't react even when I touch it now" "The transfer is complete. But we still don't know what was transferred. We haven't been able to read the rest of the stone tablet" "Which means——we need to go back to the Void Row" "That's right" Caitlin's expression became thoughtful. "...Well, I was prepared for it. I'll figure out the Gate of Depths pass again somehow" "I've got better masks for the Chemical Fog this time! Your mask last time didn't fit quite right, Jace" "You noticed" "It was off the whole time" Caitlin let out a small breath. She looked exasperated, but her mouth was slightly relaxed. The Skyrail passed by outside the window. Clatter, clatter. The orange car body reflected the light and disappeared. Jace looked at all four of their faces. Victor——always expressionless, but he'd bought her lunch. Caitlin——exasperated every time, but she always came. Jynx——he'd even remembered the mask size. (I wasn't alone.) It was obvious, but suddenly it hit her. "...Um, thank you. Let's all go again" "Getting all formal like that is creepy" "That's terrible!!" Jynx laughed loudly. Caitlin sighed softly again. Victor turned toward the window. But his profile, just for a moment, was softer. Laughter spread through the laboratory. The stone sat quietly on the desk. No light, no heat. But something was sleeping there——something still unspoken. Jace picked up her notebook. She began writing out the plan for their next trip to the Void Row. Read the rest of the stone tablet. Uncover what was transferred. And—— (I need to know what's been carved into my body.) It was frightening. But the desire to know was stronger. And beyond that, there was still an unanswered question. The "someone" who created the stone——why had they made this 800 years ago? What were they trying to "preserve"? When that was revealed, where would this story lead? Jace ran her pen across the page. The Skyrail passed by again. Clatter, clatter. Arc 1 quietly came to a close.

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Episode 7

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

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