Chapter 396: Buried Memories (1)

Ash looked at the black haired boy who was curled like a ball, his crying was slow but it was there, soft and broken as if every breath carried pain that refused to leave.Ash could feel his pain, he could literally feel everything, the helplessness, the fear, and the silent plea that never reached anyone.

His memories were just too clear, sometimes he even hated that clarity, because it forced him to relive moments exactly as they were, without the mercy of time dulling their sharpness.

For hours, that boy lay there crying and Ash just stood by the wall, his eyes closed, listening to those quiet sobs echo inside his mind. He tried to leave the place, to walk away and distance himself from the suffocating atmosphere, but he always seemed to just come back here, as if the space itself refused to release him.

So he just gave up escaping. In fact, he had an actual guess why all this was happening.

I am in this situation, definitely because of.....Runes....

Ash comprehended Rune of Truth to 1%, and then his illusion or rather memories or a dream, whatever it was just popped out of nowhere, making him face those buried memories like some sort of test, forcing him to witness things he had long sealed away within himself.

But Ash didn’t want to blame anything, not the runes, not his luck, fate or destiny. He simply let things flow as they were meant to, accepting the situation without resistance and stood in the corner, silently watching.

After few hours of crying, the black haired boy moved, his movements were slow due to pain, each motion looking stiff and forced as if even shifting his body required effort. Taking the support of the wall and the ground, he stood up and sat in the corner with a hollow look in his eyes, staring ahead without focus as if his thoughts had gone numb.

The sun continued to move in the sky, its light slowly changing shades as time passed, until it was finally the time of Sunset.

Only then that black haired boy moved. Slowly he walked back towards the orphanage, dragging his feet slightly as exhaustion and pain weighed down every step.

Ash did not follow him, cause he knew the surroundings would just change when something significant was going to happen, so he simply stood there, waiting in silence.

As the black haired kid left the alley, a tired sigh escaped him, carrying years of suppressed exhaustion.

"Those days were like hell..."

Well, for the current Ash they definitely were not, but at that time Ash was just 7 years old, without parents, and without anyone to rely on, so that moment was really like a hell to him at that time, shaping fears and emotions he did not even understand.

Ash just sighed again.

He knew what was going to happen next, and he did not want to see how it would turn out in the end, because even remembering it felt suffocating. Or was he afraid to confront his nature.

Ash closed his eyes as the information regarding why those bullies came to his mind once again, the memories resurfacing with painful clarity that he could not stop.

Those bullies were, you could say, children who had befriended some real street thugs living in the corners of the city, often watching and copying their behavior with admiration and curiosity. Getting influenced by those street thugs, those children also started to act like them back in the orphanage, copying their speech, their aggression, and the way they asserted dominance over others.

Everyone feared them, because they were not only physically bigger than most of the children but had also learned some crude fighting techniques from those thugs.

Those rough techniques, although unpolished, were more than enough to intimidate and overpower the other kids, which slowly made them the king of the jungle, which was the orphanage.

Almost everyone feared them, Almost.

The word "Almost" is used because there was a certain person whom even those bullies did not dare bully, and it was none other than Nancy. A radiant and kind girl, whose kindness and cuteness had won over the heart of the caretaker.

For everyone, it was visible to the naked eyes how much the head of the orphanage, who was an old man with a gentle but strict nature, liked Nancy.

Thus, no one bullied her, but because of her kind and helpful nature, she was liked by ’almost’ everyone, as she often helped younger children, shared her food, and never hesitated to stand up for someone weaker.

Except that group of 8 kids, who just saw her as nothing but an annoyance, someone who interfered with their authority and stopped them from doing whatever they pleased.

At that time, Ash, who by mistake spilled water on the leader of that bunch of bullies during one of the daily chores, which escalated things quite quickly, as the leader saw it as an insult rather than an accident.

But before they could gang up on Ash, Nancy came to his rescue, stepping between them without hesitation and shielding him despite their threatening glares.

Which made them even more angry, as their pride was hurt in front of others.

In fact, it was this time those kids finally noticed that while Nancy was kind to everyone, she was just too generous towards Ash, often defending him and making sure he was not left alone.

Which confused them, so they asked their ’mentors’ (street thugs) about it, seeking some twisted explanation that would make sense to their immature minds.

And that was when they came to believe that Ash was quite special to Nancy, interpreting her care in a way that fueled their jealousy and resentment.

It was just a guess on their part, but from then on, they started to harass Ash every time and at every chance they got, targeting him when Nancy was not around and cornering him in places where he could not escape easily.

Ash at that time was just too scared to even act against them, he was a coward, he feared getting bullied, getting beaten up, he was afraid of pain and humiliation that followed every encounter.

Thus, he silently endured, convincing himself that staying quiet would make things easier, but one day Nancy just saw it, noticing the bruises, the torn clothes, and the fear that he could no longer hide, and reported it to the orphanage head.

That gang of bullies got a strict warning to not bully others, otherwise they would be expelled from the orphanage, which was the only shelter most of them had.

Although the warning was effective in stopping them inside the orphanage, it escalated things even more, as their anger and frustration found another outlet. Now, instead of bullying Ash inside the orphanage, they started bullying him outside, in empty streets, alleys, and forgotten corners where no adult presence could stop them.

As they were in the orphanage, they still went to school, helped some old age homes, and even went to play, and those were the times when those bullies came after Ash, carefully choosing moments when supervision was low and he was separated from others.

Nancy was not always there for him. She was just a kid at that time, she was not mature enough to realize what was happening around her, and she was not observant enough to notice the small but important details that Ash tried so hard to hide.

That is why whenever he returned home with bruises covered under his clothes and ignored the pain every time she was around him, she noticed nothing, as Ash forced himself to smile and act normal whenever she spoke to him, fearing that she would worry or get involved again.

Still, most of the time Ash just followed her, staying close to her shadow like a silent companion. Because being near her kept the bullies away from him, and even though many kids made fun of him for clinging to her, he just stayed with her, as the safety he felt near her was worth every mocking glance and whispered insult.

At that time, he had already faced the pain of being abandoned by his own relatives, and Nancy was like the first spark of light in the eternal darkness he felt, a small warmth that kept him from breaking completely.

But not every day, he could be with her. With their duties and playing time, on alternate days they were assigned to go separate ways, and on those days Ash just silently endured the beatings, preparing himself mentally for what was coming while trying to finish his tasks as quickly as possible.

If one was going to ask why Ash did not report this behavior, it was simply because those kids threatened him that if they were expelled from the orphanage, the street thugs they followed would kill Nancy, and they described it in such detail that it burned itself into his imagination.

That fear took a deeper root in his immature heart, slowly growing stronger with every passing day, and thus Ash did nothing. He just endured, believing that his silence was protecting the only person who had ever shown him kindness.

They did not hit him on regions where the injuries would be visible, only where they would not, making sure that no adult would notice anything unusual, which made the torment feel even more calculated and cruel.

-SWOOSSHHH!!!!!!!

While Ash was remembering those pieces of information, his surroundings changed once again, shifting so suddenly that even he felt a brief moment of dizziness.

Now he was in a dark room, which was clearly a storeroom, filled with the faint smell of dust, old wood, and unused supplies stacked carelessly in corners.

In the corner, Ash could see the black haired boy sitting, shivering, with his knees against his chest and head buried between them, his small body trembling as if he was trying to disappear into himself.

Its that day.....I see....

In fact, Ash had been facing all this harassment from the age of six, and after a year of continuous bullying, Ash’s heart had already taken hold of a deep rooted trauma, shaping his thoughts and reactions in ways he did not even understand back then.

But that changed after one night, and that day was today.

Ash walked towards the black haired kid and passed through the wall next to him, as he arrived outside, he saw those same bullies talking behind that very wall, their voices filled with irritation and impatience as they searched for him.

Ash was hiding from them, and they were searching for Ash. In fact, they were not able to find him because Ash was hiding in the storeroom, a place where no one usually entered as it remained locked and forgotten most of the time.

Of course, Ash by pure luck had found a hidden opening, which could only be accessed by climbing a tree and jumping in through an open window that was slightly broken and overlooked by everyone else. So, whenever Nancy was not in the orphanage, or away to play or do some tasks, he would just hide here, curling himself into the corner and waiting until he was sure it was safe to leave.

And by luck, Ash that day heard their talk.

Author’s Note

17th February.

One year ago, Power of Runes began with a single Chapter and a very uncertain author.

One year later... we have theories that spiral for pages, rage in the comments, "author pls" at every cliffhanger, and somehow a WSA win standing in the middle of all that chaos.

I didn’t expect this story to grow the way it did. I didn’t expect readers to remember tiny details from early arcs. I didn’t expect people to argue about characters like they’re real. But you did. You stayed. You supported. You criticized. You waited through delays. You kept reading.

That matters more than you think.

To celebrate one full year of Power of Runes, I’m hosting a two-days Anniversary Event on Discord starting 17th Feb.

There will be mini games, one major POR quiz, and a live Q&A session.

The exact schedule will be finalized based on the Google Form responses, so make sure you fill it. Timing will be set so most of you can actually join. (In the discord)

Mini games include Scribble.io, Musical Chair (text edition), a certain "Tea Event"(game) and more.The main quiz will be fully based on Power of Runes — arcs, lore, hidden details, small moments only real readers remember.

Yes, there are rewards.Yes, there is a $50 Steam Gift Card for the quiz winner and nitro for mini games.And yes, custom Anniversary roles will be given.

Whether you join the event or just continue reading silently, thank you for being part of this journey.

One year down.

The real storm hasn’t even started yet.