There was no denying that she'd always hated this part. She'd endured it eleven times, and each time had been no better than the first. It was understandable, though; if anyone could control the runes, the world would have fallen into chaos years ago. To conquer them took more than just knowledge and self-control, it also took divinity. Her mother would have had an easier time, but this was Saga's task, and the blood that ran through her veins ensured that this procedure wouldn't kill her.

"... Raidho," she whispered now, finally closing her fingers around the light. It flickered, bathing her hand in red, and then vanished. At the same moment, the pain shot through her entire body, not gradual, but an entire wave that forced her down onto one knee with her fingers digging into the ground-- as if that would keep her anchored. Her head was pounding, her heart was beating wildly, and it felt as if every bone in her body was going to crack under the pressure of the ancient magic settling inside of her. Through it all, she kept silent-- not because she felt no urge to scream, but because that was required. It was torture, but to cry out would have signaled her weakness. No rune would have accepted that. She had to settle for biting her tongue with the hopes that she wouldn't bite it off entirely.

With fingers scraped and bleeding and darkness and tears pressing at her vision, the pressure eased off enough for her to shakily etch the newest rune into the air. Once again, it glowed, and the boar vanished, sent back to its homeland. With that out of the way, Saga was free to collapse-- which she did, chest heaving as she gasped for breath, and bangs plastered to her forehead with a cold sweat.