Children of the Rune — Chapters 1–25
Part 1: Boris and His Brother
Chapter 1 — Prologue
The story opens with Boris, the protagonist, being sent toward a distant kingdom together with a girl named Rose.
Boris is carrying a sword wrapped in cloth.
Very little is explained, making the scene mysterious. The story then jumps backward to Boris's childhood.
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Boris's Family
Boris is the younger son of a powerful noble warrior family.
Their society seems to function more like a republic, although powerful noble families, political factions, and a prince still exist.
Boris's family is a major warrior/war house.
The family possesses a legendary artifact set called the Winterbottom Kit:
- Winterer — the legendary sword.
- A legendary armor set, whose exact name is uncertain (possibly Coldguard).
The artifacts are traditionally associated with the family heir/patriarch.
The family strongly favors the elder son, who is the heir.
Boris therefore grows up without receiving the same status and affection that his older brother receives.
But his older brother genuinely loves Boris.
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Winterer
When Boris's older brother eventually receives the family's legendary artifacts, he gives Winterer to Boris.
This goes against the traditional expectation that the heir should possess the family sword.
The sword later becomes far more important to Boris than simply being a legendary weapon.
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The Uncle and Yanni
Boris's father, uncle, and their sister Yanni were three siblings.
Yanni was supposed to leave the family because of a marriage/political arrangement. The exact details are somewhat unclear, but Yanni was willing to go.
The uncle opposed this.
He tricked Yanni by telling her that her fiancé had gone to a forbidden lake, which was supposedly inhabited by a terrifying Wraith/monster.
Yanni went to the lake.
The legend turned out to be real.
Yanni returned corrupted and mentally deranged.
The uncle wanted to save her, but Boris's father believed that someone corrupted by the Wraith could no longer be saved.
He ultimately killed Yanni.
The uncle blamed Boris's father and was eventually banished.
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The Uncle's Revenge
The uncle eventually returned with an army and powerful mages.
The attack overwhelms Boris's family.
The mages are capable of summoning enormous monsters.
Boris's father orders the older brother to escape with the Winterbottom Kit.
The older brother wants Boris to come with him, but they are forced to separate.
Boris remains with his father and a trusted mage aide.
His father eventually tells Boris to run toward the forbidden lake and a particular tree, whose significance is still unclear.
Boris encounters what appear to be undead/zombie-like creatures.
The legend of the lake is real.
Boris's older brother eventually returns and saves him.
Boris's wounded father and the mage aide also reach them, but the uncle's mage tracks them down.
A confrontation follows.
Then a gigantic creature emerges from the lake.
Boris experiences some kind of supernatural/mental attack and loses consciousness.
A scene suggests that his older brother takes the brunt of the attack.
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The Brothers Escape
Boris wakes up in a grass field with his older brother.
Boris cannot remember everything that happened.
His brother gives him an explanation that seems partly intended to reassure him rather than tell him everything.
The brothers continue traveling toward a nearby village.
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Among Commoners
The brothers are nobles who don't understand ordinary commoner life very well.
At a tavern, they pay for food with a gold coin, immediately identifying themselves as wealthy outsiders.
Instead of receiving a proper meal, they are given a bowl of filthy worms.
The older brother confronts the tavern people.
Boris is taken hostage, forcing the older brother to stop.
When the older brother reveals that they are nobles, the tavern people are shocked.
He challenges their leader to a duel.
He wins easily and shows mercy.
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The First Attempt to Rob Them
After leaving the tavern, the brothers camp outside.
The older brother realizes that they are being followed by the same people from the tavern.
The attackers want Winterer and intend to ransom the two nobles.
The brothers are outnumbered.
Fortunately, a traveling group of fighters/mercenaries arrives and saves them.
The group eventually heads to a nearby village because they cannot stand the dead bodies around their campsite.
The brothers receive their own room.
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The Betrayal
The next morning, Boris discovers that his older brother has only just freed himself from being bound.
They have been betrayed.
Winterer has been stolen.
The innkeeper is involved.
The plan is to sell the two noble brothers to a mercenary group as slaves, while selling Winterer separately.
The brothers track down one of the mercenaries, interrogate him, and eventually let him go.
They then track another mercenary and discover that Winterer is with another group.
The betraying mercenary is apparently in debt to this other group and intended to use the two nobles as payment.
The brothers escape.
The betraying mercenary tries to settle his debt with gold, but the other group's leader refuses.
The brothers reveal themselves and expose the traitor's actions.
Instead of simply attacking, the mercenary leader establishes a duel:
the betraying mercenary versus the brothers.
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Winterer's Power
The betraying mercenary is highly skilled with a sword.
He also has Winterer.
During the battle, Boris's older brother manages to reclaim the legendary sword.
Winterer's power activates.
The betraying mercenary becomes trapped in solid ice.
The brothers win the duel.
The traitor's partner wants to ignore the result and attack anyway, but the other mercenary leader intervenes and honors the duel.
The brothers recover Winterer and continue their journey.
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The Journey Continues
The brothers are traveling toward a distant family connection in another land.
Their funds gradually run out.
Eventually they are forced to sell their possessions.
One particularly painful sale is a memento from their mother.
It is worth only around 400 coppers.
Emotionally, they would never have sold it even for 300 gold pieces, but they are desperate.
Their noble status is becoming increasingly meaningless.
They are simply trying to survive.
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